Stoner's surprise pole.

Saturday, 7th June 2008

"I really didn't expect to be on pole today, it's a big surprise!" - Casey Stoner.

MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner has his best chance of victory since the opening Qatar round, after taking his first pole position of the season on Saturday in Catalunya.

Stoner, previously on pole at last September's San Marino Grand Prix, overcame a six-strong Michelin attack to put his Bridgestone-shod Ducati at the head of the 17-rider grid.

Stoner's nearest rival was home hero Dani Pedrosa, who qualified just 0.083secs slower and is sure to be a threat in the race, but world championship leader Valentino Rossi was only ninth fastest. Stoner best both Rossi and Pedrosa to take victory in the 2007 Catalan Grand Prix.

"If I'm honest I really didn't expect to be on pole today, it's a big surprise!" smiled Casey. "Practice has been going well and we've been getting gradually better on race tyres. The guys have worked really hard and come up with two different set-ups that I'm happy with on two different machines. At the moment we're torn between which one we're going to use in the race but that's a nice problem to have!

"When we put the final qualifying tyre in I thought we were going to be lucky to be on the front row but I was able to keep it smooth - the lap itself didn't actually feel all that fast but the time was great and in general we couldn't have asked for more from the session."

After a perfect start to the 2008 season in Qatar, Stoner has taken just two podiums from the following five rounds and is currently fourth in the standings, 46 points behind Rossi. However, he arrives for this weekend's race fresh from an inspiring second place finish at Mugello.

"Over the past four races we've been able to iron some things out, work out why we weren't as fast as we perhaps could have been at the start of the season and things are getting continually better," he explained. "This pole position shows that we're going in the right direction so hopefully that trend can continue through to the race tomorrow."

Rossi 'decides' on two-year deal?

Saturday, 7th June 2008

"I have decided it will be two years" – Valentino Rossi.

Valentino Rossi has reportedly decided on a new two-year deal with Yamaha.

With the Italian winning the last three races in a row - and holding the MotoGP World Championship lead heading into this weekend's Catalan Grand Prix - a contract extension was never in serious doubt, but Rossi has been considering whether to sign for one or two years.

"Yamaha told me you decide how long you want to extend it for, and I have decided it will be two years," Reuters reports the Italian as having told Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo.

I wanted to wait and see how much motivation I had left to continue, and there is my decision."

Despite a decision on the length of his new contract, it is thought that the contract itself has not yet been signed, since some minor details remain.

29-year-old Rossi - who is negotiating his own contract - has set the start of the MotoGP summer break, on July 21, as an unofficial deadline by which his future will be decided.

After winning three consecutive titles for Honda, Rossi joined Yamaha in 2004 - where he took two further world championships in succession, before losing out to Honda's Nicky Hayden in 2006 and Ducati's Casey Stoner in 2007.

Rossi has successfully switched to Bridgestone tyres for 2008 and considers this year's YZR-M1 to be the best he has ever ridden.

Rossi's factory team-mate Jorge Lorenzo plus Tech 3's James Toseland are already under contract for 2009, meaning that just one M1 seat - currently occupied by Colin Edwards - remains undecided for next season.

Pedrosa takes spare to second, Hayden 'fun'.

Saturday, 7th June 2008

"We are fighting hard and it is exciting" - Kazuhiko Yamano.

Home hero Dani Pedrosa took his spare Repsol Honda to second on the grid for Sunday's Catalan Grand Prix, after suffering an electrical problem with his number one machine.

Pedrosa was forced to abandon his preferred bike out on track after it failed with 17 minutes of the hour gone, but took provisional pole in front of his home fans with seven minutes of the hotly contested session remaining.

Dani was then toppled by team-mate Nicky Hayden - enjoying his best qualifying session of a difficult season so far - before Pedrosa responded by returning to the top on his final lap, only for world champion Casey Stoner to beat them both.

Pedrosa finished less than a tenth of a second off Stoner's pole position time, with Hayden just 0.168secs slower.

"That was quite a difficult session for me because I had an electrical problem with one of my bikes, so I had to leave it at the side of the track and I took a while to get back to the pits," confirmed Pedrosa. "That cost me crucial time, so I was a bit nervous when I got back on track, it took me a while to find my rhythm again and ride some fast laps. Luckily I was fast again and we were able to get very close to scoring pole position.

"Starting from the front row is an excellent result from a complicated session and I'm very happy because it's important to start from the front row at my home race. We are happy enough with our race set-up, but we have to wait and see what the weather will do. I am really looking forward to racing in front of the Spanish fans," added the #2, who won for his home fans earlier in the season at Jerez and will be looking to close the 12 point gap in the world championship standings to Valentino Rossi, who qualified just ninth.

Meanwhile, third marked Hayden's best qualifying performance of the year so far, following two fourth places at Jerez and Estoril.

Rossi seeks quick fix after qualifying slump.

Saturday, 7th June 2008

"We've tried to improve the setting but we haven't been able to fix our problems" – Valentino Rossi.

The Fiat Yamaha Team is facing a late night analysing data in order to try and get star rider Valentino Rossi back in contention for victory in Sunday's Catalan Grand Prix.

Rossi, winner of the last three races and a close third quickest on Friday, slumped to ninth on the grid - his worst starting position of the season - after experiencing corner entry problems during Saturday's one hour qualifying session.

The Italian will thus try to protect his world championship lead from the outside of the third row, whilst his two remaining title rivals - Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa - fill the front two spots.

"This was quite a bad qualifying session for us," said Rossi. "We had a lot of problems and now, unfortunately, we will have to start from the third row, our worst qualifying result so far this season.

"Tomorrow for sure will be a very hard race for us. We've tried to improve the setting but we haven't been able to fix our problems, the main one of which is that we are not fast enough on the entry to the corners. Now we need to work all afternoon to try to find a solution and then see what we can do tomorrow.

"25 laps is going to be quite difficult but we will try to come up with a plan and then I will try to recover as many positions as possible at the start and through the first few corners. If we can make a few small improvements and improve the feeling then we can try to do something tomorrow, we'll just have to wait and see," he added.

Lorenzo may need skin graft.

Saturday, 7th June 2008

"Tomorrow we will decide whether a skin graft will be necessary"

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo is recovering well in hospital following his latest accident, during Friday free practice for his home Catalan Grand prix.

The Spanish rookie passed the night in Barcelona's Institut Dexues under the watchful eye of Dr. Xavier Mir, after hitting his head and injuring his right hand in the fall.

Lorenzo will remain at the hospital for at least another 24 hours and may need a skin graft to help heal the injuries to his right hand.

"I am pleased to say that Jorge's condition is improving well," said Dr. Mir this afternoon. "He passed a good night and has had a good rest. We cannot say anything in more detail until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, but I am pleased to say that he has recovered his memory 100%.

"Tomorrow we will make another neurological examination and also another examination of his right hand, when we will decide whether a skin graft will be necessary on his fourth and fifth fingers," he added.

Lorenzo, who took three poles and three podiums - including one win - from his first three premier-class races, sustained fractures to both ankles during practice at round four in Shanghai.

The 21-year-old suffered several further accidents next time out at Le Mans and was left with his first non-score as a MotoGP rider when he crashed out of last Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

Whilst some questioned why Lorenzo had been allowed to continuing riding, head injuries sustained in Friday's fall prompted doctors to rule him out of the remainder of the Catalan event.

Lorenzo is currently third in the world championship standings, 28 points behind team-mate and title leader Valentino Rossi.

Catalunya: Free practice times (3).

Saturday, 7th June 2008

Full free practice times (3) from the Catalan Grand Prix at Barcelona, round seven of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship.


Jorge Lorenzo has been ruled out of this weekend's race following a heavy Friday practice fall.


1. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 43.013 secs
2. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 43.125 secs
3. Colin Edwards USA Tech 3 Yamaha (M) 1min 43.243 secs
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team (B) 1min 43.253 secs
5. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 43.261 secs
6. James Toseland GBR Tech 3 Yamaha (M) 1min 43.294 secs
7. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP (M) 1min 43.356 secs
8. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 43.375 secs
9. Andrea Dovizioso ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP (M) 1min 43.708 secs
10. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 43.947 secs
11. John Hopkins USA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 44.031 secs
12. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alice Team (B) 1min 44.094 secs
13. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini (B) 1min 44.126 secs
14. Shinya Nakano JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini (B) 1min 44.558 secs
15. Marco Melandri ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 44.591 secs
16. Toni Elias SPA Alice Team (B) 1min 44.962 secs
17. Anthony West AUS Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 45.300 secs


Fastest Friday time:
Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda (M) 1min 43.017secs (FP2)

Fastest Friday time:
Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda (M) 1min 43.017secs (FP2)