Two weeks on from the second round of 2008 MotoGP action in Jerez, the World Championship returns for the third of eighteen races, the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, on April 13th.

Heading into the Portuguese visit, there is a new leader of the MotoGP overall standings for the first time since the third race of 2007. Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa’s record of two podium finishes from as many races –including victory at the last round in Jerez- elevates the Spaniard to a provisional top spot with 41 points on the board, usurping reigning World Champion Casey Stoner from the head of the classification for the first time in over a year.

Pedrosa was on the podium at the Estoril Circuit that hosts the Portuguese race for the first time last year, the rostrum having eluded him in all three classes until his second place behind Valentino Rossi in 2007. The Spaniard’s style of taking the lead and breaking away from the back has worked in devastating style in his most recent Grand Prix triumphs at Valencia and Jerez, and he will want to impose such a strategy in Portugal.

Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo trails fellow countryman and rival Pedrosa by just five points, holding a perfect podium record from his first two races in the premier class. The 250cc World Champion and MotoGP rookie has astounded onlookers with his impressive adaptation to 800cc riding, and has been the man to beat in qualifying after taking two poles in his maiden pair of races. He is the first rider to do so since qualifying records began in 1974.

The Fiat Yamaha outfit, segregated by virtue of a split in tyre manufacturers, currently lead the team standings. They do so through the performances of Lorenzo and five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, who took his 100th MotoGP podium in Jerez with second place. Rossi lies behind new team-mate Lorenzo in the classification, a situation that will urge the Italian on to aspire to a sixth premier class victory on Portuguese soil.

Just one point separates Rossi from fourth placed rider Casey Stoner, who in Jerez had his lowest finish since joining the Ducati Marlboro team for 2007 with eleventh. The MotoGP title holder was on the podium at last year’s bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, a repeat of which would help put his title defending season back on track. Stoner won the opening race of this season, the first MotoGP night race in Qatar, and will be expected to bounce back immediately to attack for further victories with the Desmosedici GP8.

Like longtime adversary Lorenzo, JiR Team Scot’s Andrea Dovizioso is also announcing his arrival in the premier class in fantastic style. Portugal is one of the few tracks at which Dovizioso has consistently out-placed the Spaniard in the lower cylinder categories.

James Toseland, himself a MotoGP debutant this season, is hoping to have some added firepower at his disposal for the visit to Estoril. Until now the Briton has been using a valve-spring engine for his Tech 3 Yamaha satellite M1, but is now expecting to be given the added grunt of the factory pneumatic valve motor as he aims to battle on a level playing field with the MotoGP big guns.

2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden used the latest version of the Honda RC212V for the first time in Jerez, and saw instant improvements. However, the Repsol Honda rider is not one to settle for anything less than a podium finish, and is chasing his first rostrum placing of the year as the series heads to Portugal.

The early championship top ten is completed by Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi, Kawasaki star John Hopkins and San Carlo Gresini Honda man Shinya Nakano.

In 250cc, Mattia Pasini maintained the lead at the head of the standings in unexpected fashion with his second podium in the class. The Polaris World quarter-litre rookie had started from tenth on the grid in Jerez, but a collision between race leader Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista allowed the Italian to take second place in the race and follow up his Qatar victory in positive fashion.

Jerez racewinner Mika Kallio is currently on a run of three consecutive podium finishes, and lies just  four points behind Pasini in the overall classification. Red Bull KTM’s Finnish rider is himself ten points ahead of Hector Barbera, after the Pepe Team Toth rider was unable to follow up on his Losail podium in Jerez.

Yuki Takahashi, Alex Debon and Roberto Locatelli complete the top six in the quarter-litre category, with last year’s winner of the Portuguese round Bautista outside the top ten courtesy of some early season misfortune.

One of the more experienced riders in the closely-fought 125cc category, Simone Corsi leads the way in the class after his first victory of the year. Like Pedrosa in MotoGP and Pasini in 250cc, the Jack&Jones WRB man holds an advantage of just a handful of points over his nearest rival, in this case Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing’s Stefan Bradl.

Corsi can also expect stiff competition in Portugal from third placed team-mate Nico Terol, who currently lies third in the standings after his first World Championship podium, Polaris World’s Bradley Smith and reigning 125cc World Champion Gabor Talmacsi, who has been the unlucky victim of mechanical difficulties over the course of his opening two title-defending races.

CIRCUIT INFO
Situated on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, 28km from capital city Lisbon, the Estoril circuit was used as a MotoGP venue for the first time in 2000. Built in 1972 by Fernanda Pires da Silva the circuit was used mainly for European F2 races in the seventies and after major redevelopment in the early eighties it staged its first Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1984. One of the trickiest tracks on the GP calendar, Estoril combines long, constant radius corners with heavy braking zones, bumpy straights and a difficult chicane which was added to the back section in 1994. Its geographical position means that weather can be unpredictable, although its generally warm, dry nature makes it a regular choice for pre-season testing sessions.

from InfoMotoGP