Simón: ‘I still have a 50 point advantage’

Julián Simón missed out on the chance to clinch the 125cc World Championship on Sunday when he crashed with seven laps to go, having been several seconds ahead of the chasing pack at the head of the race.

In truth, Bradley Smith was well positioned behind him so he probably would not have taken the title even if he had stayed upright, unless Smith had ended up fifth or worse, but Simón knows that he is still in an excellent position with three rounds to go. Simón’s eventual twelfth place and Smith’s third means there is now a 50.5 point gap between the pair in the standings with three rounds remaining.

It was just Simón’s second costly crash in an otherwise highly consistent season, his only other previous accident coming in front of his home crowd at Jerez, when he was similarly motivated to push to the limit and grab the glory.

Describing what went through his mind during the race Simón added, “At the beginning it was hard getting the lead. Once I got in front I really went for it and eventually I could see that I had a five second lead. I thought I would do two more laps at that fast pace and then relax, but I crashed. I feel really bad for the team especially as they were helping me so much during the race, indicating where Nico Terol and Bradley Smith were. Fortunately I was able to pick up the bike and finish the race.”

“It would have been nice to win the race and clinch the title this weekend, but I am still 50 points in front. The key thing now is to avoid repeating any errors.”

Looking ahead to Phillip Island in two week’s time Simón added, “I like the track in Australia. I think all the riders like it because it’s so exciting to ride and I think it is suited to my riding style. I’ll go there with the aim of setting up the bike perfectly and to get to raceday with a clear plan. I want to have the best race possible, pick up as many points as I can and hopefully win the championship there.”