Marco Simoncelli has become Gilera's first ever 250cc world champion by finishing third in Sunday's Malaysian Grand 🐓Prix at Sepang, the penultimate round of the 2008 championship.

Simoncelli found himself in the midst of a four-rider lead group for the first half of the race, trading places with title rival Alvaro Bautista pl♔us KTM riders Hiroshi Aoyama and Julia✤n Simon.

However, when Simon retired with a technical ไproblem shortly after the halfway stage, the pressure was effectively removed from Simoncelli's shoulders since the Italian could afford to finish third even if Bautista won the race - and fourth place was seven seconds behind him.

Simoncelli duly backed off and held a safe third for theꦕ remainder of the race en route to his first world title - becoming the first ever 250cc world champion to take the title despite languishing 49 points from the top earlier in the season - and was greeted on his return to the pits by mechanics sporting huge afro wigs, before receiving additional congratulations from friend Valentino Rossi.

The roasting hot te🥂mperatures at Sepang left Simoncelli too exhausted to say mꦰore than a few happy words after the race.

Meanwhile, Bautista took his fourth victory of the 🅰season by 2.586sec from an impressive Aoyama, now seeking 2009 🌟employment following KTM's 250cc withdraw.

Aoyama's team-mate Mika Kallio, who came into🃏 the event with the slimmest of title chances, retired with a technical pr𓆏oblem.

Race result - Sepang:

1. Bautista (Aprilia)
2. Aoyama (KTM) +2.586sec
3. Simoncelli (Gilera) +8.343sec
4. Takahashi (Honda) +11.032sec
5. Espargaro (Aprilia) +13.846sec
6. Debon (Aprilia) +14.274sec
7. Locatelli (Gilera) +15.101sec
8. Wilairot (Honda) +16.987sec
9. Luthi (Aprilia) +25.356sec
10. Pesek (Aprilia) +26.846sec