Estoril GP: Hector Faubel drafts his way to victory

Hector Faubel has pulled team-mate Gabor Talmasci’s championship lead down to just five points after beating the Hungarian into second place in a drag race to the line.

It was another typical 125 race with a freight-train of riders tussling for the lead from the start.

Bradley Smith’s recent run of rotten luck continued when a collision with another rider damaged the young Brits bike putting him out of contention to run at the front.

Pole-sitter Mattia Pasini set the early pace, leading from the front with a healthy lead.

However, like the story of his season so far for the Italian, it would end in tears for Pasini who lost the front entering the slow right-hand hairpin ending his chances of a win.

That left five riders at the front battling for the 25 points; Hector Faubel, Gabor Talmasci, Simone Corsi, Joan Olive and 16-year-old Pol Espagaro.

Espagaro looked the most lively throughout the race, however it was the two Aspar Aprilias, Talmasci and Faubel, who would duel it out on the last lap for the win.

Despite being team-mates, Hector Faubel and Gabor Talmasci haven’t seen eye-to-eye recently after Faubel crashed under pressure from the championship leader last time out at Misano and had a few choice words for his Aspar colleague in the Spanish press.

Faubel led the final lap until Talmasci dived under him at the same corner Pasini had crashed at earlier in the race.

However, it wasn’t to be Gabor Talmasci’s day as Faubel moved into his slipstream coming off the final bend to draft past and take the chequered flag.

Pol Espagaro racked up his first podium behind them, and Mattia Pasini fought back to an impressive ninth.

Bradley Smith ended the day with a 12th and Danny Webb impressed with a 20th position.