Sebastián Porto

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Sebastián Porto (left) with Dani Pedrosa in Philip Island in 2005

Sebastián Porto (actually Sebastián Oscar Porco ; born September 12, 1978 in Rafaela , Argentina ) is a former Argentine motorcycle racer . Porto, nicknamed Sebas , was born Sebastián Porco in Argentina. But since his family name means something like pig in Italian , after he came to Europe he decided to change it to Porto in 1997.

Career

Beginnings

Sebastián Porto began his racing career at the age of eleven at a regional mini-moto championship in his home country, after having successfully competed in bicycle races since preschool age . In 1991 and 1992 he was the Argentine dirt track champion in the classes up to 50 and 125  cm³ . In the following two years Porto took part in the Argentine 250 cc championship on a Yamaha , which he won in 1994. Therefore, his sponsor Reinaldo Cozzani, who also promoted the Argentine Grand Prix , decided to send him to Europe in 1995.

Sebastián Porto competed in two races in the Spanish Open Ducados Championship in 1995 , and in 1996 the 168 cm Argentine competed in the PR2 team in the 250 cm³ championship , where he won the title with four wins in eight races.

250 cc world championship

Sebastián Porto made his debut in 1994 at his home Grand Prix in the motorcycle world championship , he started in the 125 cc class, but did not reach the finish. In 1995 he competed in the 250cc class for the first time in the same race and finished in 13th place.

From the 1996 season , Porto competed permanently in the 250cc World Championship and drove an Aprilia . His best result of the season was ninth in the Indonesian Grand Prix and 19th in the overall standings. In 1997 , Porto took eleventh place in the World Cup with constant placings in the top ten. In 1998 , due to some technical problems on his Aprilia, he only achieved 22nd place in the 250cc World Championship.

For the 1999 season, Sebastián Porto switched to the Semprucci team, where he competed on a Yamaha and finished ninth in the World Championship. In the following year , the Argentine repeated this placement in the EDO Racing team, again with a Yamaha, and was awarded the Michel Metraux trophy for the best driver of a private team. In 2001 , Porto was still relatively inconspicuous in the German team Yamaha Kurz in the 250cc class and finished in 16th place.

In the 2002 season , Sebastián Porto made his breakthrough by winning the Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix in Jacarepagua . With four further podium finishes, he achieved fifth place in the World Championship in the Petronas Sprinta Yamaha TVK team . For the 2003 season he moved to Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team of Alberto Puig , where he first a Honda drove. Although he didn't get a podium, he finished eighth overall.

2004 was Portos by far the most successful year in the 250 cc World Championship. He won the races in Italy , the Netherlands , the Czech Republic , Qatar and Australia on an Aprilia from Jorge Martínez 's Repsol Aspar team , made it onto the podium ten times and was runner-up 61 points behind the Spaniard Dani Pedrosa . In the following season , the Argentine only managed one victory in the same team and, as a result of many falls and technical defects, was sixth overall in the World Championship.

For the 2006 season, Porto moved to Repsol Honda . After disappointing results at the beginning of the season and major problems with the Honda, he announced his immediate retirement from the 250 cc World Championship shortly before the Grand Prix of Catalonia at the age of only 27 because he had lost the fun of racing.

In his 161 starts in the motorcycle world championship , all but one of which he rode in the 250 cm³ class, Sebastian Porto achieved seven wins , 19 podium places, eleven pole positions and eight fastest laps .

statistics

successes

Web links

Commons : Sebastián Porto  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Porto, Sebastian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Porco, Sebastian Oscar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Argentine motorcycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH September 12, 1978
PLACE OF BIRTH Rafaela