Today’s MotoGP qualifying at Mugello started the exact opposite of what usually happens, with all the riders trying to post their fastest lap times at the beginning of the session due to the risk of rain, which infact started during the halfway mark sending the riders scurrying back to the garages and QP to a complete standstill.
With no further action on track, Casey Stoner’s best lap of 1.
48.
034 set early in the session earned him his fifth pole position of the season for tomorrow’s Italian GP and his lap was 0.
046s faster than Jorge Lorenzo’s record breaking lap in this morning’s FP3.
Ben Spies took the second spot and was 0.
445s adrift, while MotoGP’s official bad boy Marco Simoncelli closed out the front row.
Andrea Dovizioso will open the second row and alongside the Honda Respol rider will be Jorge Lorenzo, who has no worries regarding his starting position as his race pace is impressive and other Yamaha M1 rider, albeit a satellite one will be Colin Edwards.
Rookie Cal Crutchlow has evidently learned the Mugello track well enough to finish in seventh and a mere 0.
043s from his veteran Yamaha Tech3 team mate.
Dani Pedrosa is still angry enough with Marco Simoncelli to have posted the eighth best time with Ducati’s Nicky Hayden taking the ninth spot on tomorrow’s starting grid, while his much more titled team mate Valentino Rossi who once used to rule the Mugello with a record seven wins on this track, will start in lowly twelfth and is still playing catch-up with a very unruly Ducati GP11.
1.
MotoGP Mugello Qualifying results:01- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 1’48.
03402- Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
44503- Marco Simoncelli – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 0.
45104- Andrea Dovizioso – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 0.
66005- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
72206- Colin Edwards – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
94007- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
98708- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 1.
36409- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 1.
47510- Hector Barbera – Mapfre Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 1.
62911- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 1.
64412- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11.
1 – + 1.
86813- Hiroshi Aoyama – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 2.
12214- Alvaro Bautista – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP – Suzuki GSV-R – + 2.
42615- Randy De Puniet – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
61716- Toni Elias – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC212V – + 2.
708