Estoril MotoGP: The winners and losers from Estoril in the past

In the past the Portuguese MotoGP round has served up a few surprises and shocks.

The circuit, based on the Atlantic coast just 17 miles from the capital of Lisbon, was first introduced to the MotoGP calendar in 2000 and has been used every year the four-strokes have ran in the premier class.

Estoril has provided some frantic racing since 2002 thanks to a circuit combining fast sweeping corners and of course the huge straight leading into the first-gear 90 degree turn one.

To give you a taste of who has the form and what has happened in the past five years, here is a brief overview of each race.

2002

The first visit of the 990’s was a damp occasion, with a wet race day catching out many of the GP field resulting in just 12 bikes reaching the finish line.

Sete Gibernau set an early pace and looked comfortable on the inconsistent 990 Suzuki four-stroke until he crashed on his own handing the lead to the trio of Tohru Ukawa on the Repsol Honda, team-mate Valentino Rossi and Marlboro Yamaha M1 rider Calros Checa.

Rossi showed he could win in both the dry and the wet, taking the win from Checa.

The leading two-stroke 500 was Alex Barros, who would better that result in 2005, with Jeremy McWilliams racking up an impressive ninth on the Proton Team KR bike after falling in qualifying.

2003

2003 was a true battle of the titans; Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi going head-to-head with no outside challenge and on the same machine.

The Honda pairing, Rossi riding the works Repsol machine and Biaggi on the Camel Pramac Pons bike tussled for the lead with the reigning champion Rossi taking the win.

Loris Capirossi took an impressive third on the all-new for ’03 Ducati, making much of the time up on the 986 metre long home straight.

2004

All the drama took place on the first lap. Rossi, now Yamaha bound, had the lead while in the background Max Biaggi overshot his Camel Honda colliding with the rear of Capirossi’s Ducati putting the Roman Emporer out of the race.

Capirossi continued to eventually finish seventh, but it was Japanese rider Makoto Tamada who impressed most behind Rossi to take second, the same position he ended Friday’s practice session for this year’s race.

Barros took the final spot on the podium while British hopeful Neil Hodgson continued a disastrous rookie year in MotoGP with a DNF.

2005

Unlike in previous years, Estoril hosted an early round of the championship rather than at the climax.

Alex Barros proved this is one of his favoured circuits, taking the win from Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha and Max Biaggi on the works Repsol Honda finishing third.

Rossi’s closest title contender for the year Sete Gibernau continued a poor start to the year with a DNF after Rossi collided with him on the last corner at Jerez the race prior costing the Spaniard the win.

2006

Last year’s race was by far the most eventful.

A huge dive from Dani Pedrosa took out team-mate and championship leader Nicky Hayden leaving Rossi with the perfect opportunity to take the championship lead from the infuriated American.

But it wasn’t to be as an unlikely winner came in the shape of Toni Elias who slid his way to the front on his Fortuna Honda and pipped Rossi at the line for the win, docking Rossi five points that would have won him the title last year.