2009 Brno 250cc Race Result - Duel To The Line

Result and summary of the 250cc race at Brno:

Marco Simoncelli has clawed back some very useful points at Brno by winning the 250cc race at Brno, but he had to hold off a very strong challenge from Mattia Pasini to do so.

It was Simoncelli's team mate Roberto Locatelli who led away from the line, ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama and Simoncelli, with Hector Barbera a close 4th. But Locatelli's lead would last only a couple of laps, before Hiroshi Aoyama got past and into the lead. Next lap round, it was Barbera's turn to take over 1st, Marco Simoncelli following in his wake and forcing Aoyama down into 3rd. Simoncelli then took on Barbera and took over the lead, with Mattia Pasini closing on his fellow Italian a lap later.

By this time, the race had divided into two groups, with Simoncelli leading Pasini, and a small gap to Barbera, Alvaro Bautista - who had recovered strongly from a mediocre start - Hiroshi Aoyama and Bautista's team mate, Mike di Meglio. Barbera quickly dropped off the group, while di Meglio started making himself useful attacking Aoyama. He took several attempts, but his final try was just a fraction too much, finding himself going too hot into Turn 10, standing the bike up and just clipping Aoyama's back wheel. Di Meglio ran wide, ran off and rejoined in 11th, though a brilliant ride back through the field saw him eventually finish in 9th.

The incident between di Meglio and Aoyama opened up the gap which had already been forming between Aoyama and Bautista, and left the Scot Honda rider out of contention. Bautista seized the opportunity to go chase the leaders, and was closing rapidly when a huge moment on lap 16 saw him lose too much to Simoncelli and Pasini, and forced him to settle for 3rd.

The victory would be disputed between the two Italians. Some six or seven times, Pasini got the drive out of the final corner to get ahead of Simoncelli going into turn 1, but every time, Simoncelli would respond in turn 3 and take back the lead. On the last lap, Pasini was just too far behind to try into turn 1, and a very strong lap by Simoncelli saw him hold just enough of an advantage to hold the lead to the line and claim victory. Pasini was forced to settle for 2nd, while Bautista came home in 3rd. Both Simoncelli and Bautista took important points back from the championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama, who finished the race in 4th place, ahead of Roberto Locatelli and Raffaele de Rosa.