This afternoon’s qualifying started with Valentino Rossi hitting the top of the timesheet almost immediately and the positions would continue to change during the hour with Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Colin Edwards exchanging the top position.
Rossi wasn’t giving up and with less that two minutes to the end of session and taking Dani Pedrosa in tow, re-took the pole and flying in the 4th sector put in a red hot lap in 1.
36.
025.
Pedrosa towed to second, just 0.
085s off of Rossi’s pole position.
Jorge Lorenzo was lighting up 3 red lights and heading to the top, but lost all his advantage in the final sector, but will start in third place on the grid.
Casey Stoner, who has an excellent race pace suffered and survived a wheelside in the middle of session and his last run ruined by Loris Capirossi, finished fourth.
Returning to his box, vented off his anger and gave the bird towards Capirossi’s garage and then tapped his helmet to indicate craziness when he was sitting in the Ducati pit.
UPDATEDColin Edwards will start in fifth and the guilty Loris Capirossi sixth.
Chris Vermeulen will behind his team mate in seventh.
Andrea Dovizioso was 8th and James Toseland who got a great boost with his new set-up will be taking off in ninth.
Yesterday’s poleman Randy DePuniet closes the top ten.
Alex De Angelis after his problems with Capirossi will start 11th while rookie Mika Kallio is 12th.
Nicky Hayden couldn’t repeat his seventh place in this morning’s FP2 was 13th.
Melandri 14th and his disguised Kawasaki as a Hayate having problems in the dry.
Toni Elias on his semi-spec Honda is 15th, followed by Gibernau and Canepa who binned his bike during the session.
The last two spots on the grid go Scot Team’s Yuki Takahashi and Gabor Talmacsi who was only 3 tenths slower than his team mate.
Update:Apparently Casey Stoner’s gesture was not directed at Loris Capirossi but towards Sete Gibernau.
Stoner accused the Spaniard of placing him in danger twice and complained that the Race Direction should start taking disciplinary actions against these riders.
Assen Qualifying Results:1 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 1′36.
0252 Dani PEDROSA Honda 0.
085 3 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha 0.
3684 Casey STONER Ducati 0.
608 5 Colin EDWARDS Yamaha 0.
735 6 Loris CAPIROSSI Suzuki 0.
928 7 Chris VERMEULEN Suzuki 1.
169 8 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Honda 1.
212 9 James TOSELAND Yamaha 1.
29810 Randy DE PUNIET Honda 1.
44811 Alex DE ANGELIS Honda 1.
61212 Mika KALLIO Ducati 1.
72413 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati 1.
73414 Marco MELANDRI Kawasaki 1.
92315 Toni ELIAS Honda 2.
11116 Sete GIBERNAU Ducati 2.
42817 Niccolo CANEPA Ducati 2.
58018 Yuki TAKAHASHI Honda 2.
59419 Gabor TALMACSI Honda 3.
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