Sachsenring - Germany- QP

Rossi fires back for first Sachsenring pole

Saturday, 18 July 2009

Italian tops timesheets for first time in German weekend for maiden pole at Sachsenring.

Valentino Rossi added a third pole position to enviable haul from 2009 at Sachsenring on Saturday, coming out on top in a drenched qualifying session for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Rossi’s last gasp 1’32.520 lap was not only enough to head the timesheet by over six-tenths of a second, but it was also sufficient to give him a first ever MotoGP pole at the German track.

Rossi relegated Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo to second on the grid, and the two share the front row for the sixth time this season. Joining them in the first line of attack will be fellow title contender Casey Stoner, a further six-tenths down on Rossi’s marker in the qualifying run.

Lorenzo and Stoner had experienced big crashes at Laguna Seca last time out, but this time they were two of the few riders not to have experienced a moment in preparation for the Sachsenring race. The area at and ahead of turn eight proved costly for a number of riders on Saturday afternoon, with falls for Marco Melandri, Toni Elías, Randy de Puniet, Alex de Angelis, Nicky Hayden and Niccolò Canepa adding to Chris Vermeulen’s Friday hit and James Toseland’s morning moment. Canepa first hit the gravel of his own accord, then later became involved in Hayden’s crash when the American speared him off track.

Hayden took his best qualifying result as a Ducati Marlboro rider to date with fifth place, ahead of San Carlo Gresini Honda’s De Angelis and LCR Honda man De Puniet on the second row.

The Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland begins at 2pm local time on Sunday.

MotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification PDF
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'32.520 269.326

“I’m really happy for this pole because it means I’ve already got more than in the whole of last year!” beamed the Italian. “Getting the pole position here is very important for the race because it’s such a hard place to overtake, so I’m really happy. We’ve done some good work today and my team has done a great job to set-up the bike. We’ve made a few small modifications, which have improved the feeling for me and I felt very confident today despite the bad conditions.” motogp.com
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'33.160 269.595 0.640

“Yesterday I was quite worried about my injuries but I am happy to say that today I feel a lot better and I was able to ride much more strongly and brake much later,” said the Spaniard, who leads the BMW M Award competition for qualifying results. “I was really fast in the dry this morning and then this afternoon I did a lot of consistent laps, improving all the time, which is very good because often I struggle in the wet. At the end it was very easy to crash so I didn’t want to push too much or take too many chances, it was important to be careful!” motogp.com
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'33.759 264.835 1.239

“That was a crazy session because of all the standing water on the track and the grip levels were minimal,” said the Australian. “There were riders crashing all over the place so once we knew we had a decent lap time in the bag I decided to sit out the last few minutes of the session because the last thing I needed was a crash.
“I'm still feeling the effects of the qualifying crash at Laguna two weeks ago so to be honest the first thing I'm pleased about is to have stayed upright today, the second thing is to be on the front row!” he admitted.
“I have to take my hat off to Rossi and Lorenzo today because whilst everybody else was sliding around all over the place those two looked like they were on rails," said the 2007 world champion. "They are clearly the guys to beat again tomorrow in wet or dry conditions although to be honest I'd prefer it to be wet – at least that way I know I am physically fit enough to be strong to the end of the race!" crash.net

4 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'34.404 266.140 1.884

“The session was actually a bit of a disaster, I went out on the first bike and going into turn one the gearbox locked up, I thought I was down there. It stayed in second gear so I rolled all the way back in like that. I got on the second bike and didn’t feel that comfortable as I knew I only had one bike so I was going quite cautiously, then once I got going I felt alright.”

He continued, “Then we made a couple of changes and I got right on the pace. On the last run I went out, I knew I was a bit on the limit but I felt I had a chance to maybe do something special. I was going for it, I was setting my best time going through T1, then in the downhill the rear went away and there was nothing I could do. I’m sorry for Niccolò because it was just a case of ‘wrong place, wrong time’.”

Asked whether he felt he could be competitive in Sunday’s race in the event of more rain, Hayden replied, “I have felt pretty good all year in the wet. Sometimes this bike works quite well in the wet but it doesn’t give a lot of feedback. It is stiff and sometimes it is hard to know what it is going to do, but it still goes well overall in the wet, so I’m pretty happy.” motogp.com

5 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'34.490 256.288 1.970

“We started out really well and my lap times were good in the early part of the session, when we were using a tyre that we already put a few laps on yesterday. With a new tyre it was really hard to generate the heat to get it working at optimum temperature but gradually I started to feel better. Then unfortunately I crashed in the corner where everybody else went down too. It is never a nice feeling to crash but especially when I know that I could have made an attack at least for the front row. Anyway, fifth place is a fantastic result for us and if it rains again tomorrow then we’re ideally placed. Even if it is dry we know we have a good starting position and good pace for what I hope can be my best race of the season.” motogp.com
6 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'34.564 266.337 2.044

“We have got a good grid position and I am quite satisfied but it has not been easy as a wet session is always a gamble. Everybody pushed to find the limit but sometimes we push too much and we crash. I was very fast in the first run (12 laps) and my machine's wet setup was almost perfect. Unfortunately I crashed on turn seven because I opened the throttle too much and the asphalt was like an ice-skating rink! After that I went out on my second bike but it took me some time to find the right pace. When I started to push I had some engine brake issues and at two laps to go I went out in the gravel. The guys must work hard to repair both bikes for tomorrow but I feel confident as we made a good performance in both conditions." motogp.com
7 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'34.607 261.311 2.087

“It was a bit of a struggle to be honest, so to be as high as seventh, I'm not going to complain too much. I thought we'd made a big step with the wet set-up yesterday but the rain was much harder this afternoon and the track temperature was a lot cooler. I knew two laps into it that I'd got no feeling from the rear. We made a couple of changes and the lap times were getting a bit better but each time I wanted to push the rear would just come round on me. The Bridgestone front rain tyre is just awesome and you can do what you want with it. If I could chop the bike in half and just ride the front around here it would be fantastic. But as soon as I load the rear tyre it comes round on me and picks me up. I want to push and go faster, but the faster I go the more load I'm generating and that just pushes the rear out even more. The balance isn't quite right because I feel like I'm riding well in the rain. Tomorrow is all about getting a good start with it being hard to over take. And the start pretty much determines which group you're going to be battling in. The new electronics I've got though are unbelievable. I don't want to curse myself but my starts have been phenomenal and I need to thank Yamaha because the new electronics have helped me massively.” motogp.com
8 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'34.725 262.263 2.205

“Qualifying in eighth isn’t ideal, so I’ll be trying to make another good start tomorrow. That’s going to be important here because the first turn is quite close to the start line, plus it’s difficult to overtake at this track. The conditions were quite difficult this afternoon, they were changing all the time and I was struggling to get into a good rhythm. There were a lot of riders crashing out there and I don’t have a lot of experience on this year’s wet tyres because I missed some testing earlier in the season. This was why I wasn’t going so quickly this afternoon. It wasn’t because of my crash in last year’s wet race. It was good that we had a dry practice session this morning and of course I’d prefer a dry race tomorrow. The forecast is not certain so we’ll aim to improve our set-up for both wet and dry conditions.” motogp.com
9 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.741 268.056 2.221

"Overall the practice has not been too bad because we were able to work on getting a good wet setting. We made a few changes half-way through to improve engine-braking and control, but the biggest problem was the amount of rain on the track in the last 15 minutes of the session”, he explained. “I did quite a good lap and then on what felt like my best lap I lost some time behind Melandri, so I decided I had to go for it on the next lap, but in turn seven as I opened the throttle to accelerate out, the rear tyre just let go and I flew a long way off the bike. The good thing for us though is that the feeling in the bike is good in the wet and this will help us if it is like this tomorrow." /www.moto-live.com/
10 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'34.771 267.062 2.251

"A very intense day”, he commented. “This morning we have done really well with a dry surface keeping really close to the first positions. Then, in the afternoon with really wet surface, we stayed in the top ten and conquered the fourth row. Any weather condition there will be tomorrow we are trustful to be able between the fastest. I am sorry for Niccolò because he was having a good qualifying session and I hope he will be ok for tomorrow's race." .moto-live.com
11 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'34.892 268.256 2.372
12 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'34.937 266.666 2.417

"I am quite disappointed with qualifying because we struggled to get the bike working well for me. That was probably due to my lack of track time at speed today, but we did make some steps during the session. Right at the end, when there was a lot of standing water, we struggled to get good grip from the rear of the bike and that is something we'll look at tonight so we can be ready if it is wet tomorrow”, he said. “With my injuries it will be a bit easier for me physically if it is wet tomorrow, but if it's dry I'm expecting it to be a tough race. My shoulder and my hip are both hurting from the crash on Friday, but I'll be ok to race and trying as hard as I can!" /www.moto-live.com/
13 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'34.938 260.052 2.418
14 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'35.005 264.641 2.485

“I'm gutted. I felt like I was riding really well, so to come in and see myself four-tenths of sixth is hard to swallow. If I wasn't riding well and not putting in the effort I know I am, I wouldn't be so frustrated. I had my best feeling in the wet for a long time and I knew I was riding well, but each time I came across the line I was seeing P12 or P13. And then to find out I'm so close to a top six is really frustrating. We kept one set of tyres through the whole session and just as I did my quickest lap time the rain started coming again and there was a little bit more water. I'd used the best grip of my tyre and I couldn't go any quicker. So instead of sitting here in sixth or seventh with a big smile on my face and feeling confident of a good result, I'm fourteenth and that makes it a tough race with it being so hard to overtake. But my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 have done an amazing job to give me a good bike for the wet and build my confidence. We kept going softer with the set-up because the edge grip on the Bridgestone rain tyre is amazing. It will be a tough race with overtaking so difficult on this track, but as always I'll be giving it my all.” motogp.com
15 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'36.012 256.106 3.492

"What a hit ! I didn't understand what happened until I saw the replay while I was in the mobile clinic. When I was on the ground after the accident I saw and heard Hayden saying to me "Sorry, sorry, sorry", but I didn't understand why”, he said. “He doesn't have to worry because this sort of things can happen and the most important is that both of us are ok and ready to race tomorrow. I suffered a hard contusion ad my back, head and ankle, but nothing is broken. I felt a lot of heat in my lower back but everything seems back to normality now. I want to thanks the mobile clinic doctors who have helped me to relax and will do all possible to put me back in top form for tomorrow's race." .moto-live.com

16 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'36.055 265.878 3.535
17 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'36.531 264.705 4.011a

“I didn’t feel as comfortable today as I did yesterday in the wet or the dry. Track temperature was 15ºC lower and I really felt the difference. It was taking too long to get any heat into the tyre and even when I did the feeling wasn’t there. It wasn’t a good day and it finished off with a crash, which I was lucky to come away from without any injury. I’d had a few warnings beforehand, the bike was sliding around in a lot of places, and then I lost control and the next thing I knew I was laying on top of the bike like I was sunbathing or something! It’s funny to watch on television but I can assure you it wasn’t so funny for me. Hopefully the fans get chance to sunbathe tomorrow because we need a dry race. I’m starting from last place so it will be a tough race for sure. My only option is to fight and pass as many people as I can. Let’s hope we have the conditions and a set-up that allows me to do so.” motogp.com

FP2 Times

1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 21.882 sec
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 22.258 sec
3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 22.311 sec
4. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 22.340 sec
5. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 22.357 sec
6. Marco Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team 1min 22.441 sec
7. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 1min 22.721 sec
8. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 1min 22.738 sec
9. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 22.892 sec
10. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 22.899 sec
11. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 23.041 sec
12. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1min 23.205 sec
13. Toni Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 23.374 sec
14. James Toseland GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 23.655 sec
15. Niccolo Canepa ITA Pramac Racing 1min 23.897 sec
16. Gabor Talmacsi HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP 1min 24.579 sec
17. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 24.718 sec