Czech Republic Grand Prix: Qualifying Report – Dani Pedrosa on pole position, Ben Spies & Lorenzo impress
Dani Pedrosa, the Repsol Honda rider, won his third pole of the season in Brno. The first row of Sunday’s race will be completed by Ben Spies, a surprise of the day, and Jorge Lorenzo. During the qualifying session, FIAT Yamaha had its problems, which resulted in disaster towards the end of the session.
Dani Pedrosa came back strongly on Saturday morning, during the second practice session, emerging on top of the time-sheets, ahead of current leader Jorge Lorenzo. Pedrosa continued his good run during the qualifying, putting up a best time of 1’56.508, for his third pole of the season. Therefore, the Spaniard would start tomorrow’s Cardion ab Grand Prix Czech Republic from the front, after a drama-filled qualifying session. He was over three tenths of a second faster than Ben Spies, who came in second.
American rookie Ben Spies was the best performer of the qualifying session in Brno. He looked good for his first ever pole position when he took the lead towards the end of the session, but he was overtaken by Pedrosa in his final run of qualification. Nevertheless, the Tech 3 Yamaha rider would be happy for his first ever start from the front row, alongside Dani Pedrosa. The weekend has been dramatic for Spies so far, as he looks set for the final showdown.
Jorge Lorenzo was looking good, despite being down in the qualifying session. In the end, he managed to get the final spot in the front row, with a difference of 0.357 seconds from Dani Pedrosa. Lorenzo will attempt to achieve his seventh victory from this position, which does not seem unlikely for him after an incredible season. However, the only worry for the Spaniard was a fall towards the end of the session, when he was trying to beat the time set by Ben Spies and Dani Pedrosa. The good news is that the fall did not result in any mishaps for him, as he walked his way towards his camp afterwards.
Casey Stoner seems to be back where he started this season. His Ducati machine was creating a lot of problems for him, especially on the corners. However, despite a poor show for most of the part, he was able to pull everything together for a final push. This resulted in Stoner placing fourth, in the second row of the grid. However, the prospects of winning the race seem bleak for the Australian, who is having trouble with his bike. There is, however, some time left before the race, and his team would be working hard to overcome the problems. However, the time is short for Ducati, which means that the race in Brno might not be fruitful for Stoner.
Valentino Rossi met the same fate as his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo. He fell towards the end of the session, just after the fall of Lorenzo, which resulted in a fifth place on tomorrow’s race. Rossi seemed extremely frustrated after this fall, as he was looking good to make it to the first row. However, his fall did not result in any further injury to the Italian, who has already missed a lot of action due to an earlier injury.
Andrea Dovizioso had a good run during the practice session, but seemed a little reluctant during the qualifying session. Therefore, he only managed to get the last place in the second row, with a sixth place finish. The third row will comprise of Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden and Hector Barbera. Nicky Hayden also suffered a fall towards the end, but he was also lucky enough to come out without an injury.
Randy De Puniet is coming back from a long injury for the race in Brno; he finished in the 11th spot, just behind Loris Capirossi. The riders look set for the final race, and everyone is hoping for a good weather tomorrow, as prospects of rain are lingering just around the corner.
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