2009 Estoril 125 And 250 Test - Day 3 - Simoncelli On Top Again, Iannone Fastest 125

The final day of testing at Estoril saw a reduced field battling windy conditions, making improving upon Monday's times an impossibility. The departure of the Aspar team also meant a number of big names were missing, making the timesheets less significant than they would otherwise have been.

The loss of the Aspar team was most keenly felt in the 125 class, where Julian Simon had spent the first two days of the test firmly thrashing the rest of the field, with team mate Bradley Smith also a firm fixture at the top of the timesheets. In their absence, Andrea Iannone topped the timesheets, improving on his time from the first two days, but still 0.9 seconds slower than Simon's time from Monday. Iannone led the Derbis of Sandro Cortese and Pol Espargaro, both of whom had been quick on the previous days.

With Bradley Smith gone, Scott Redding was the fastest British rider, finishing 6th and 1.6 seconds off Iannone's pace. Meanwhile, Danny Webb had a less successful day, slipping down to 14th spot.

In the 250 class, Bautista's absence gave Marco Simoncelli a free run, though the reigning world champion barely needs it. The Gilera man led two Hondas, with Thai rider Rattapark Wilairot and Team Scot's Hiroshi Aoyama. Hector Barbera, the man who had caused an upset on Monday by topping the timesheets slipped down to 5th. With Aspar missing, the two former 125 champions Gabor Talmacsi and Mike di Meglio were also not lapping, both of whom had set excellent times over the past couple of days.

Tuesday was the final day of testing for MotoGP's support classes. The next time they convene will be at Jerez for the official IRTA test, where the full field will be gathered. MotoGPMatters.com will be reporting live from Jerez, and bringing you updates of all three classes.

250 cc

Circuit record: 2007, Alvaro Bautista, Aprilia, 1'40.521

125 cc

Circuit record: 2007, Gabor Talmacsi, Aprilia, 1'45.027