 Elías won his first premier class race on 15 October 2006 with a fantastic final lap of the Portuguese MotoGP at Estoril.Elías had started the lap in third place, but an aggressive braking move into Curva 1, moved him past Valentino Rossi and the then-leader Kenny Roberts, Jr. into the lead.He actually clipped Roberts while braking, and this loss of momentum meant that Rossi passed Roberts for second position.