The big news for this race was the return of Casey Stoner, the 23-year-old team leader for Marlboro Ducati. The Australian rider had taken a two month break from racing, missing three events, to concentrate on fighting off a mystery virus that had affected his stamina since June. Amongst other things he had adopted a new diet during the lay off, and now seemed to be pretty much back to his old self. During the rest period he had not done any training, so a full race distance would be the true test.

There was also news as to rider line-up changes for 2010, with in particular Superbike racer Ben Spies confirmed as making his full-time entry to MotoGP with the Tech 3 Yamaha team. He had been contracted to stay with Yamaha for two years anyway, but opted to switch to Grands Prix a year ahead of schedule. Having appeared for Rizla Suzuki last year, he will have a Yamaha GP wildcard for the final race this year at Valencia. In 2010 he joins Colin Edwards, leaving James Toseland without a ride (see below).

Setting the pace in qualifying at Estoril were the Yamahas, with Lorenzo fastest in all the practice sessions. He took his fifth pole position of 2009, with Rossi in second place. The Fiat team were promoting their Punto Evo model, so that both bikes ran in a white and silver livery this time. Lorenzo was got up to look like an astronaut, celebrating forty years since the moon landing, with his crash helmet convincing in that regard.

It was the big four at the front, as Stoner was third and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was fourth. These two are only a few points apart in the race for third in the championship. Keeping up his recent run was Edwards in fifth, again ahead of several factory riders. Back to fitness, Randy de Puniet for LCR Honda was back to past qualifying form in taking sixth. Row three had some of those factory riders, with Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) heading Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Nicky Hayden (Marlboro Ducati).

With Stoner back, Mika Kallio returned to the Pramac Ducati customer team, and tenth place here equalled his best grid slot this year. Eleventh went to Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Gresini Honda), from Toseland (Monster Tech 3), Toní Elías (Gresini), Niccolò Canepa (Pramac), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), Marco Melandri (Hayate Kawasaki) and Gábor Talmácsi (Scot Honda).

The start of the race saw Pedrosa making a good getaway, shooting through from the second row to take the lead, followed by Lorenzo, Rossi, Stoner and Edwards. The turn three Lamy right-hand bend saw Pedrosa go wide and let Lorenzo through into first place, and in no time he was already building a small lead. Behind the first five, Capirossi led Kallio, Hayden, Dovizioso, de Puniet, Toseland, Elías, Melandri and Talmácsi.

First time back to the long main Recta da Meta straight, Stoner tried to pass Rossi for third, only for the Italian to brake later for the tight right Curva 1. However, Casey got onto the inside for turn two, a right-hander after a quick left kink, and went past. With Lorenzo already breaking his lap record as he moved clear at the front, Stoner’s next target was Pedrosa. Using the slipstream along the main straight, the Ducati rider passed on the inside for Curva 1.

Lorenzo continued to lap quickly, with at this stage his nearest pursuers seemingly having no answer. Stoner and Pedrosa followed, beginning to ease away from Rossi, with Edwards and Capirossi next in line. The Suzuki man would soon lose out to the pair behind him, after Kallio had passed Hayden at Curva 1 for seventh. Loris would now have the threat from Dovizioso to contend with, at this stage followed by the advancing Elías, then Toseland, de Angelis, Vermeulen, Melandri, de Puniet and Canepa.

Lorenzo’s lead was growing to the two-second mark, and now third man Pedrosa ran wide at the left turn of the Esses, just before the final long right Parabolica Ayrton Senna. This left second man Stoner with a bit more of a margin for comfort, with Dani still just clear of Rossi. Edwards had lost touch with ‘the Doctor’, and might have had Kallio homing in until the Finn crashed out of sixth at the Parabolica. Behind Hayden, Dovizioso had passed Capirossi, who also lost out to Elías at Curva 1.

Half-distance saw Lorenzo’s lead over Stoner at around 2.5s, and at this stage third man Pedrosa was lapping faster than the Australian and leaving Rossi, who was clearly unable to match his usual front-running form. A few laps later Valentino was as much as ten seconds from his leading team-mate, and it would become clear later that the championship leader had found his bike’s settings had not given him the grip he needed to challenge - he was consistently one second a lap slower than Jorge.

But although Lorenzo’s lead was growing to an unassailable six seconds or more, Stoner was clearly back up to speed and maintaining it as he put four seconds between himself and Pedrosa. By the end, Rossi was over eleven seconds from a podium position, with this foursome finishing in unchanged order. Edwards had also kept a good hold on fifth right to the end, clear of the next runners.

After the exit of Kallio, Dovizioso had taken sixth place away from Hayden at the left-looping turn six Parabolica Interior, holding on even as he went wide on the way out. Nicky then lost another place to Elías at Curva 1, with the Spaniard then chasing down his fellow Honda rider ahead. Toní had of course won the 990cc MotoGP race here in 2006, as well as winning twice in previous 250cc races, and again he was going well. He made up the ground to Andrea and made yet another pass at Curva 1.

The closest finish to the race was for sixth, with Dovizioso getting alongside Elías, to his right, for the line. Toní just held on and matched his result from Misano. Hayden had lost another place to Capirossi, at Curva 1, but then the Suzuki man retired with mechanical failure. Already, de Angelis had dropped out of P12 with an electrical problem. So Nicky was eighth, from Toseland. Vermeulen won a long battle with de Puniet, and there followed Melandri, Canepa and Talmácsi.

Winning for the fourth time this year, the race had been convincingly taken by Jorge Lorenzo, who mimicked weightlessness as he planted his victory flag as if he was a moon lander himself. And with Valentino Rossi struggling, the difference in the points was reduced to 18 by Lorenzo’s success. Casey Stoner was right back where he was accustomed to being as he took second place, and this despite a broken foot rest from an early stage. Lorenzo’s win was the fortieth in the top GP class for a Spanish rider, with Álex Crivillé leading the way on 15, and Jorge fourth on the list behind Sete Gibernau and Pedrosa. This result secured the constructors’ title for Yamaha, so will Lorenzo be racing his team-mate for the riders’ title, or will Rossi stamp out the challenge?

Standings after fourteen races: Rossi 250; Lorenzo 232; Pedrosa 173; Stoner 170; Dovizioso 142; Edwards 134; Capirossi 96; Elías 94; de Puniet 93; Melandri and Vermeulen 90; de Angelis 87.
Yamaha 330; Honda 236; Ducati 211; Suzuki 126; Kawasaki 90.

Season 2010: With the news about Ben Spies, James Toseland finds himself without a viable MotoGP ride for next season. There was apparently an offer for him to join the Pramac team, but as that was a paying ride (bringing in sponsors) he didn’t take it seriously - Pramac will run Mika Kallio and recent substitute rider Aleix Espargaró. Toseland does however have an offer to stay with Yamaha for a WSB return, where he will be going for a third title. Joining him on the grid there will be Chris Vermeulen, who also switches back to the Superbike series as team leader for Paul Bird’s works Kawasaki outfit. The Hayate Kawasaki team will not be in GPs next year, bringing that manufacturer’s recent involvement to an end. Meanwhile, Toní Elías is rumoured to again be with the Gresini team, but stepping down to the new 600cc ‘Moto 2’ class, which replaces the 250s.

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