Published: Saturday September 15, 2012 MYT 7:40:00 PM
Updated: Saturday September 15, 2012 MYT 9:56:45 PM
Pedrosa turns heat on Lorenzo with pole
MISANO, Italy: Spaniard Dani Pedrosa will start from pole position in Sunday's San Marino MotoGP after qualifying fastest on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Honda rider - taking his 41st career pole spot and his 23rd in MotoGP - was 0.018 of a second quicker than 2010 champion and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha while Briton Cal Crutchlow will start from third spot as he finished 0.0144 of a second slower.
Pedrosa trails Lorenzo by 13 points in the overall standings after 12 races. Pedrosa posted the early leading time on the fourth lap but was only able to confirm his fourth pole of the campaign in the dying seconds as first Crutchlow and then Lorenzo timed faster.
However, Pedrosa, who has never won the MotoGP title but was the youngest ever 250cc world champion aged just 19 in 2004, deprived Lorenzo of pole with a final surge in the last part of the circuit.
Italian nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi equalled his best qualifying performance of the season in taking sixth in what is his final race on home soil for the Ducati team before rejoining Yamaha.
Jonathan Rea posted the ninth quickest time in what is his first race deputising for Honda's defending world champion Casey Stoner, who is recovering after intensive leg surgery and will retire at the end of the season. --AFP
Earlier reports:
Pedrosa takes San Marino pole
MISANO, Italy: Spaniard Dani Pedrosa will start from pole position in Sunday's San Marino MotoGP after qualifying fastest on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Honda rider - taking his 41st career pole spot and his 23rd in MotoGP - was 0.018 of a second quicker than 2010 champion and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha while Briton Cal Crutchlow will start from third spot as he finished 0.0144 of a second slower.
Pedrosa trails Lorenzo by 13 points in the overall standings after 12 races. -AFP
Abraham tops San Marino practice times
MISANO, San Marino: The Czech Republic's Karel Abraham topped the MotoGP time-sheets after the third and final free practice session at the San Marino Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Ducati rider's quickest time from Friday was not improved upon on Saturday due to heavy rain that rendered the Misano circuit almost impracticable.
Only a few riders managed to complete 10 laps, the most enterprising being Valentino Rossi, who went round 17 times.
The Italian, who barely took to the track on Friday, was in sixth place after the three practice sessions, ahead of qualifying for Sunday's race.
Spain's Alvaro Bautista was second fastest, while Spanish championship rivals Jorge Lorenzo, of Yamaha, and Dani Pedrosa, of Honda, finished in ninth and 10th place respectively, having both sat out Friday's session on account of the rain.
Simone Corsi (FTR) was the fastest man over the three Moto2 practice sessions, while Romano Fenati (FTR Honda) took the honours in the Moto3 category. -AFP
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