MotoGP: Motegi Qualifying Race report

Casey Stoner has decided to secure the MotoGP title as soon as possible and, after the second day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, the Australian showed again that he is ready to fight for victory in tomorrow’s race, after getting the fastest time in the qualifying. It’s his tenth pole position of this year, a feat that no other rider had achieved in the MotoGP ever, and he did that while setting the record at the Japanese track. From the other side of the first row will start Dani Pedrosa, who finished fourth today, without possibility to take advantage of his bike’s potential with the soft tyres in the final qualifying.

The refining of the GP11.1’s setup for the Motegi circuit continued positively on the second day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix. During the four sessions run thus far, Valentino Rossi and his team have focused mainly on the Desmosedici’s weight distribution. The Italian was seventh at the end of qualifying, and was satisfied with the manner in which they had worked.

As for Nicky Hayden, the American improved his performance session by session, and in qualifying, he barely missed the third row. His time isn’t far from that of his teammate.

First Stoner, after Lorenzo, and even Andrea Dovizioso got below 1 minute and 46 seconds, but two minutes before the end, Stoner stopped the clock in a definitive 1 minute, 45 seconds and 267 thousandths, breaking the record of the track that had been set in 2008. With this time, the Australian has joined an leite group of 5 riders that have set the best time in qualifying 10 times in the same year (Anton Mang in 1981 with a 250c.c., Freddie Spencer in 1985 with the wild 500c.c., Wayne Gardner in 1987 also in 500c.c. and Jorge Lorenzo in 2006, in 250c.c.), two poles from the 12 achieved by Marc Márquez in 2010 with the 125cc, and Mick Doohan, 1997 in 500.

Here is a look at the top five: