Today’s qualifying session at Phillip Island saw Casey Stoner take his second pole position of the season and continue to dominate the field after this morning’s free practice.
The Aussie rider, true to form, set few, but blistering laps throughout the hour session, but it was his final lap in the dying seconds that pipped Valentino Rossi out of the pole position by 0.
050s.
Valentino Rossi will start tomorrow’s race in second place, his best lap coming on the 26th of his 30 laps.
Dani Pedrosa was third, despite a crash at turn 2 when his front folded sending him for a long tumble through the grass and gravel trap, that left the Spanish rider uninjured, while Lorenzo for the first time this season was not on the qualifying podium was fourth.
Lorenzo and several members of his team are still recuperating from food poisoning, was just 0.
001 from Pedrosa’s best time of 1.
31.
070.
Colin Edwards has taken his umpteenth fifth position, followed by an impressive Alex DeAngelis on his satellite Honda who also crashed but managed to finish in 1.
31.
260.
Nicky Hayden took seventh, almost a second behind his team mate Casey Stoner, followed Randy de Puniet, Mika Kallio and Andrea Dovizioso who closed the top ten.
Toni Elias finished 11th, James Toseland fell back to a disappointing twelfth place after yesterday’s 7th and Loris Capirossi was 13th.
Marco Melandri, who was hit by a seagull in this morning’s FP was 14th, while Chris Vermeulen who’ll be heading to the World Superbike Championship next year with Kawasaki was 15th and Gabor Talmacsi was 16th.
Niccolo Canepa, who injured his arm in yesterday’s practice and had to undergo a skin graft and will miss tomorrow’s race and is also expected to miss next week’s Sepang race.
MotoGP Phillip Island Qualifying Results:1 27 Casey STONER 1′30.
3412 46 Valentino ROSSI 1′30.
3913 3 Dani PEDROSA 1′31.
070 3184 99 Jorge LORENZO 1′31.
0715 5 Colin EDWARDS 1′31.
0966 15 Alex DE ANGELIS 1′31.
2607 69 Nicky HAYDEN 1′31.
3258 14 Randy DE PUNIET 1′31.
3809 36 Mika KALLIO FIN 1′31.
38410 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO 1′31.
47211 24 Toni ELIAS 1′31.
64012 52 James TOSELAND 1′31.
72213 65 Loris CAPIROSSI 1′31.
87314 33 Marco MELANDRI 1′32.
19015 7 Chris VERMEULEN 1′32.
33816 41 Gabor TALMACSI 1′32.
752 Not classified88 Niccolo CANEPA