250’s bow out at Valencia
Yesterday saw the final round of the last ever 250cc Motorcycle World Championship in Valencia, Spain. It was an action packed race, with Spain's Hector Barbera winning and Japan's Hiroshi Aoyama taking that final title. Aoyama only had to finish 11th to become champion, where as Marco Simoncelli had to win with the Japanese finishing lower than 11th.
Simoncelli took the race by the scruff of the neck and got out in front, while Aoyama staying in the leading pack. On lap nine, the Japanese rider went off the track at the first corner, as he nearly touched Bautista. By the time he got back on track, he had dropped right down the field to yes, you guessed it, 11th!
The race then started to look rather scrappy as the likes of Mike Di Meglio and Jules Cluzel slung their bikes into the scenery. Then just to top it all off, race leader Simoncelli slid off the track as well, putting his chances of retaining his title well out of reach.
And so Aoyama scraped home in an eventual seventh to take the final ever 250cc World Championship. It wasn't a classic end, but I doubt Hiroshi is complaining.
In the other classes, Dani Pedrosa won on home soil in front of Valentino Rossi in the MotoGP race. Casey Stoner ditched his bike on the warm up lap, much to everyone's surprise. In the 125's Julian Simon beat Bradley Smith to take the win, finishing off his victorious championship season.
Final thoughts...
I've read so much about the glories of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but I still think it was a case of flash over substance. The F1 circus are bound to love it simply because they get to lounge about in luxury, not freezing their backsides off at Silverstone or being soaked to the skin round the back of the pits at Spa. Fundamentally it was another boring, unchallenging track with fancy buildings built round it. However, no one will listen to a ticket paying fan such as myself, so Bernie and co will be booking their flights to Dubai.
