Rossi on Mugello pole

From motogp.com

The man with a perfect record of four-stroke MotoGP victories at Mugello, Valentino Rossi will make his attempt at a seventh consecutive home win in Sunday´s Gran Premio d´Italia Alice from pole position. The five-time MotoGP World Champion was in inspired form as he negotiated his favourite circuit on the calendar, smashing the existing Saturday record by eight tenths of a second with a 1:48.130 lap.

For the rider who has seemingly done everything in the premier class, pole position signified a new milestone for the Fiat Yamaha rider. His first of the season and first with Bridgestone tires, Rossi´s most recent top spot is also his 50th in the World Championship and keeps alive Yamaha´s dominant pole record thus far in 2008.

Rossi recorded his fastest lap with time to spare in the dry afternoon qualifying session, with no rider able to hang with the Italian favourite. Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa came closest to dethroning the `King of Mugello´ with his final attempt, but fell just short with a time less than two-tenths of a second down on that of the current series leader.

Loris Capirossi completes the front row for the Sunday showdown, his first time on the frontline since joining Rizla Suzuki. Capirossi is the only rider on the grid besides Rossi to have won at Mugello.

Last year's MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner made it four different factories in the top four, heading the second row for home team Ducati Marlboro and lining up alongside Shanghai poleman Colin Edwards. Repsol Honda´s Nicky Hayden completes the second line of attack.

The leader of the BMW M Award for combined qualifying results, Jorge Lorenzo nonetheless starts from his lowest grid position since moving up to MotoGP. In seventh place at the top of row three, the Spaniard will have to storm through the field to try and catch Fiat Yamaha teammate Rossi. Heading into the first corner, he may also bash fairings with Tech 3 Yamaha´s James Toseland and San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Shinya Nakano, who join him in the eighth and ninth grid placings, respectively.

Qualifying Results
1. V. ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1:48.130
2. D. PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team +0.167
3. L. CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.183
4. C. STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team +0.245
5. C. EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha +0.253
6. N. HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team +0.536
7. J. LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team +0.775
8. J. TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha +0.895
9. S. NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini +0.965
10. A. DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini +1.015
11. C. VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.090
12. R. DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP +1.116
13. A. DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP +1.435
14. J. HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team +1.471
15. T. OKADA JPN Repsol Honda Team +1.699
16. T. ELIAS SPA Alice Team +1.721
17. S. GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team +2.145
18. M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team +2.335
19. A. WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team +2.759