The last ten minutes of today’s MotoGP qualifying session at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit was one of the most battled out sessions we’ve seen this season as the riders demanded so much from their bikes, but especially from their softer compound tires that the rubber often baulked at such stressful situations, shaking the riders and causing some off track excursions and crashes.
Jorge Lorenzo was lying in fourth before he hammered out his sixth pole position of the season with a final blistering lap of 1.44.969, which shattered the new record of 1’45″257 that was held briefly by Cal Crutchlow. The Brit went to the top of the timesheets with this provisional pole, but was so fast that he missed his braking mark at the end of his fast lap and ran off track almost hitting a barrier.
Title rival Dani Pedrosa ended up second, he too breaking the previous record but had nothing against ‘The Hammer’. Crutchlow’s best time was still good enough for third against the two factory riders.
Ben Spies also blazed to the top of the timesheets, but he would later suffer a slow lowside at the tight hairpin and he had to park his M1 and he qualified fourth ahead of Alvaro Bautista and Andrea Dovizioso.
Opening the third row in seventh will be Casey Stoner (his worst qualifying result in two years). The Austrialian is struggling with his ankle injury and returned to action for this round 43 days after his surgery. Next to the Repsol Honda rider will be Stefan Bradl in 8th, who suffered a crash in the opening minutes at turn 1. Valentino Rossi took ninth and was finally able to drop into the 1.45s, but with the front runners breaking records left and right, the Italian ended up little than a second off pace.
Nicky Hayden is also struggling with his right wrist injury and the very hard braking and the stop-and-go-track isn’t helping the American who qualified tenth. Katsuyuki Nakasuga was 11th and 1″8s from the top of the timesheets and one tenth of a second ahead of Hector Barbera. Aleix Espargaro was the best CRT rider in 13th, while Karel Abraham on the other satellite Ducati took 15th along with a crash. Michele Pirro also crashed as did James Ellison. …
MotoGP Motegi Qualifying results:
01- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – 1’44.969
02- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.246
03- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.288
04- Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.367
05- Alvaro Bautista – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 0.512
06- Andrea Dovizioso – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.643
07- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.776
08- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 0.879
09- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1.007
10- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1.492
02- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.246
03- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.288
04- Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.367
05- Alvaro Bautista – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 0.512
06- Andrea Dovizioso – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.643
07- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.776
08- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 0.879
09- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1.007
10- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1.492
from Twowheelsblog
