Qualifying cancelled at Estoril

From motogp.com

The continuation of the poor weather conditions at the bwin Grande Premio de Portugal at Estoril meant that the qualifying sessions for the MotoGP, Moto2 and 125cc categories were cancelled on Saturday.

With excessive water on the track surface, continual high winds and rain and after attempts to reschedule the qualifying program, Race Direction was eventually forced to decide at 2:30pm local time to call off the qualifying sessions, meaning that the starting grids for each race will be based on the combined times from the three practice sessions.

In MotoGP Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) will start from pole position, his seventh of the season, with Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) and Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) completing the front row. The Italian himself started from pole at Motegi in 2009 after the qualification session was cancelled in similar circumstances.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Team), Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) will comprise the second line, with the top six all taking their positions on the starting grid courtesy of their FP2 times.

The returning Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) will start from 12th and Carlos Checa (Pramac Racing) from 17th in his first GP since Valencia 2007.

In the Moto2 class Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up) will start from pole for the first time this season, ahead of Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar), Toni Elías (Gresini Racing) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Technomag-CIP), meaning the Turkish rider will start his first World Championship GP from the front row.

Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up), who is battling Simón for runner-up spot in the Championship, will start from down in 35th.

In the 125cc class Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) will head up the grid for the third time this year, with fellow Brit Danny Webb (Andalucia Cajasol), rookie Alberto Moncayo (Andalucia Cajasol) and one of the three riders still able to win the 2010 title – Nico Terol (Bancaja Aspar) – on the front row.

Championship leader Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) – who could claim the title this weekend – and the third rider still in the fight for the 125cc crown Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) will start from 11th and 12th respectively.