Shanghai : 125cc race The fourth 125cc race of the 2007 season saw Valsir Seedorf Derbi's Lukas Pesek take his first ever World Championship victory at the Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China.
The 21 year-old from Prague has finished in the top six
for the last seven successive races and his consistency resulted in a great win at Shanghai from third on the grid, as the gifted Czech won a ten man battle for the lead in the final couple of laps.
Hector Faubel of Bancaja Aspar finish second having started in that position, whilst a brilliant performance from fellow Spaniard Esteve Rabat saw the Repsol Honda 17 year-old come from 12th on the grid to take the last podium place.
In the early laps Mattia Pasini was leading the way from pole but Bancaja Aspar's Gabor Talmacsi had taken control by the half way point, with Pasini's bad luck continuing as he fell away to eventually cross the line tenth.
Fifth place on the grid for Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda) was the best qualifying result by a British rider in the class since Steve Patrickson at the Spanish GP in 1990, but a bad start saw him drop down the positions in the early laps.
Smith ended up in an interesting battle for 8th place with fellow youngster Pol Espargaro (Belson Campetella Aprilia) which the 16 year-old from Oxford eventually won.
But it was Pesek who finally came out on top, crossing the finishing line 0.187s ahead of Faubel and 0.481s in front of Rabat. Pesek now leads the World Championship from Talmacsi who finished fourth, whilst Simone Corsi (Skilled Racing Team) was fifth and Sergio Gadea (Bancaja Aspar) was sixth.
DORNA / CAPSIS International
