Late effort puts Rossi on pole

From motogp.com

Qualifying at the MotoGP Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini went down to the wire, but Valentino Rossi ultimately emerged on top.

Having crashed out at Indianapolis last Sunday Rossi is fighting back in style at his home event this weekend and he took pole at the end of an intriguing qualifying practice at Misano on Saturday afternoon.

The Italian legend has been the fastest rider in every session so far this weekend and his last gasp 1:34.338 lap put him in pole position for the sixth time this season in the Rimini sunshine.

As the session drew to a close it looked as though Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa had snatched pole from Rossi with a decent 1:34.560 effort, but the Fiat Yamaha rider found another level in the closing seconds to deny the Spaniard.

Afterwards an excited Rossi commented, “I am very happy to get the pole position here in Misano. I was able to do a great lap on my final tire and that was enough for pole, and the team changed the tire in the time of an F1 pit stop so thanks to them! We know that it's going to be a very tough race tomorrow, but we are in good shape.

“We expected it to be a bit cooler today but in the end it wasn't so different from yesterday and it's still very hard work for all the riders. This afternoon the grip wasn't great and we found it a bit harder with the race pace, but then we made a second round of modifications and everything felt very good.”

In his typically self-deprecating manner, Rossi explained the new helmet he is sporting this weekend, stating, “I have the donkey on it because in Italy, if you make a stupid mistake we say that you are a donkey. I made a mistake in Indy so this is why!”

Having qualified on the front row for the fourth GP in succession Pedrosa will try to spoil Rossi’s party at Misano on Sunday as he goes in search of his second victory of 2009.

“It’s great to get a front row start here and we weren’t far away from pole position, which is a good result from this afternoon because our rivals are very strong again here," Pedrosa said. "During the session we were working on race set-up and we still have a little way to go to improve my race pace and consistency compared to the others. In qualifying I was able to up my speed towards the end and I was pushing really hard because it’s very important to get on the front row here and give yourself the best chance of a clean getaway.”

Completing the front row, Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also marked his best time at the end of the QP, but he finally fell half a second short of his title rival. Lorenzo will need to be at his very best if he is to improve on his second place result in last year’s Misano contest.

“Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough with the soft tire right at the end," the Indy winner said, "but we are still on the front row once again and this is the most important thing. My race pace is very good and I did some consistent runs, even though we still have some areas that we need to improve a bit because our setting isn’t perfect yet.

“I think the race tomorrow is going to be quite painful in this heat and the physical condition is going to be very important! It will be a long race but we are in good shape and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

The second row of the grid is headed by San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Toni Elías, who lapped with a similar pace to Lorenzo and will be desperate for a good performance on Sunday as he fights for his future in the premier class.

Behind Elías on the grid sits the experienced Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and the Texan’s compatriot Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), who is enjoying plenty of support from the Ducatisti this weekend.

The top 10 also features home rider Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) - the veteran Italian surviving an off track excursion unscathed during the session.

Despite his great overall form this season, with three victories and six podiums to his name, it has taken until the 12th 250cc qualifying session of the year for standings leader Hiroshi Aoyama to achieve his first pole of 2009.

The Japanese rider broke his duck with a 1:38.867 time on the 21st of his 23 laps of the Misano circuit on Saturday afternoon, though it was only just good enough as Spaniard Héctor Barberá (Pepe World Team) came within 0.008 secs. of denying the Scot Racing man.

Local lads Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera) and Mattia Pasini (Team Toth Aprilia) were not far behind, the pair of them lapping around two tenths down on Aoyama, and both will be expected to fight desperately for victory from the front row at their home round on Sunday.

Bradley Smith set a new pole record at Misano on Saturday as he qualified at the head of the grid for the 12th 125cc race of the year, in scorching hot conditions in Rimini. The young Englishman secured his third pole of the season with a lightning fast 1:43.727 lap to hold off a strong challenge by his Bancaja Aspar team-mate Julián Simón, who was just 0.016 secs. behind him.

MotoGP Qualifying Results
1. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:34.338 (267.790 km/h)
2. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.222
3. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha +0.470
4. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +0.569
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +0.846
6. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +0.885
7. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda +1.005
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda +1.154
9. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda +1.216
10. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +1.223
11. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati +1.263
12. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki +1.447
13. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki +1.452
14. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha +1.732
15. Aleix ESPARGARO (SPA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.890
16. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati +1.926
17. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda +2.753