Stoner shoots to thrill with late Phillip Island pole charge Australian Grand Prix – Saturday October 4th Report Day 2 motogp Local hero Casey Stoner will start the Australian Grand Prix from pole position for the first time in his premier class career, thanks to a stunning 1´28.665 `smash and grab´ in the Saturday afternoon qualifying session. The 2007 MotoGP World Champion smashed the pole position record by nearly four-tenths of a second onboard his Ducati Desmosedici GP8, on his final hot lap in the dying moments of the afternoon run. Stoner´s eighth pole position of the year and spectacular time was the exceptional moment needed in order to prevent Fiat Yamaha´s Jorge Lorenzo from taking a second consecutive qualifying victory. The Spaniard was just 0.069 from the top spot, but keeps his four-race front row streak alive with his performance in the dry afternoon session. Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden had looked to be on course for a repeat of his 2005 & 2006 pole positions with just five minutes remaining at Phillip Island, but missed out as his rivals upped the pace. The former MotoGP World Champion will complete the front row alongside Stoner and Lorenzo. One rider expected to feature at the business end of the timesheet, newly-crowned 2008 titlist Valentino Rossi will start from the fourth row after suffering an awkward crash on Saturday afternoon. The Bridgestone qualifying tyres had barely been fitted to his Fiat Yamaha M1 before he was required to use them on the grassy run-off area with fifteen minutes to go in the session, and when the Italian arrived at the gravel the 800cc machine turned into a temperamental bucking beast. Rossi held on and was lowsided amongst the stones, picking up a light knock to his neck, but gave a testing lap at the end of the qualifying run to assess his condition. LCR Honda´s Randy de Puniet will be hoping that the weather stays sunny in Australia on Sunday, having continually put in fast times in the dry. The Frenchman was the last of four riders to break the existing pole position record, set by Hayden in 2006. He heads the second row, joined by Tech 3 Yamaha´s James Toseland in the Briton´s best qualifying performance since Laguna Seca in July. Dani Pedrosa completes the second line. Colin Edwards, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano make up row three onboard their respective Yamaha and Honda satellite machinery. 250cc Marco Simoncelli put on a jaw-dropping display at Phillip Island to take pole position for the 250cc Australian Grand Prix, stopping the clock at 1´32.075 to smash Sebastian Porto´s 2004 pole record by some 1.3 seconds. The Metis Gilera rider, who leads the World Championship by 32 points, extended his streak of qualifying top spots to three-in-a-row, adding further weight to his claim for the title. Simoncelli´s time would have placed him inside the 107% qualifying requirement for the MotoGP race, and was less than a tenth of a second slower than the time recorded by Kawasaki´s Anthony West in the premier class. It was equally impressive when placed alongside the times of his rivals, with the closest to his hot lap being title contender Mika Kallio, eight-tenths back. Another man in with a chance of stopping Simoncelli´s title charge, Alvaro Bautista joins the fight from the front row, alongside Kallio´s Red Bull KTM teammate Hiroshi Aoyama. Bautista´s companion in the Mapfre Aspar garage, Hector Faubel, will head the second line, ahead of Julian Simon, Yuki Takahashi and Alex Debon. 125cc A week after taking a first pole position of his Grand Prix career, 125cc World Championship leader Mike di Meglio took his second in seven days at Phillip Island. The Frenchman put down a 1´37.553 lap to confirm his provisional Friday spot at the head of the lower cylinder category grid, in the perfect position to extend his advantage in the overall standings or even clinch the title on raceday. Di Meglio was some two-tenths of a second faster than second placed Bradley Smith, who clawed his way back to the front row following a crash in the session. The Polaris World rider had to wait until his final lap to clinch second on the grid, sealing his ninth front row start of the year. Winner of the last round of Japan, Stefan Bradl also lines up on the first row with his Grizzly Gas Kiefer Racing Aprilia, accompanied by Jack&Jones WRB´s Nico Terol. Row two features I.C. Team´s Andrea Iannone at its pinnacle, with Sandro Cortese and title challengers Simone Corsi & Gabor Talmacsi completing the line. Cortese crashed in the Saturday qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix. More, from another press release issued by Dorna Communications: SIX DAYS LATER What a difference six days can make Last Sunday Valentino Rossi beat Casey Stoner to regain his MotoGP World title in Japan, this afternoon Stoner took a superb pole position while Rossi crashed spectacularly in a superb qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. Rossi damaged his neck when he was thrown from the Fiat Yamaha in the gravel trap at the fast turn four after taking to the grass coming out of the Southern Loop but he should be fit to ride in the 27 lap tomorrow while his great rival Stoner set the fastest ever motorcycle lap round the 2.764 miles circuit. After a big crash in the morning practice, home hero Stoner lapped the fastest circuit on the MotoGP calendar in one minute 28.665 seconds on the Marlboro Ducati to pip Jorge Lorenzo for pole. It was nearly half a second quicker than the previous pole record set by Nicky Hayden riding the 990 cc Honda two years ago. The in- form Hayden will start from the front row two years later after qualifying third fastest less than one tenth of a second behind Stoner who won the race at Phillip Island last year. Frenchman Randy De Puniet once again showed great qualifying form in fourth place and is joined on the second row by World Superbike Champion James Toseland and Dani Pedrosa riding the Repsol Honda. Rossi will receive extensive treatment on his neck and will be ready for what promises to be one of the real battles of the season around the riders’ favourite grand prix venue. The only thing that could spoil it would be the weather. TOSELAND’S ISLAND OF DREAMS Yorkshireman James Toseland celebrates his 28th birthday tomorrow and will be seeking to at least repeat his excellent qualifying performance in the MotoGP race. Riding the Tech 3 Yamaha, Toseland qualified fifth fastest and will start from the second row of the grid with Randy De Puniet and Dani Pedrosa. Toseland has already have five podium finishes in World Superbike races at Phillip Island and it showed in the sun-kissed qualifying session “I’m pleased to be on the second row but a little disappointed not to be in the one 28’s and the front row,” explained Toseland.” I had a couple slides on my last qualifier and so it’s a good position. It certainly helped not having to learn the circuit and be able to go out to work on the set-up right from the start on Friday.” STOP PRESS “¦”¦”¦..Bridgestone look certain to be the sole tyre supplier to the 2009 MotoGP World Championship after submitting a proposal to the Grand Prix Commission. An official announcement will be made the Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang on October 18. THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BRADLEY SMITH What a weekend so far from Bradley Smith who finally qualified second fastest for the 125 cc race but he certainly did it the hard way. The 17 year old rider from Oxford crashed in yesterday’s wet qualifying session. In the dry second session this afternoon he crashed again at the Honda hairpin but was still able to get onto the front row in second place riding the Polaris World Aprilia. In pole position for the second consecutive race is Championship leader Mike Di Meglio. Fifteen year old Scott Redding starts from the third row after qualifying 11th while Danny Webb who was brilliant in the rain yesterday qualified 15th and will start from row four. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: DE PUNIET 4TH FASTEST IN THE QUALIFYING AT “THE ISLAND” Phillip Island, 4 October 2008: Qualifying for the Grand Prix of Australia was run in dry conditions today with ambience temperature of 18°C (the asphalt temperature rose up to 30°C) and the LCR Honda MotoGP rider Randy De Puniet made solid progress ending the day 4th gaining the second row for the ninth time this season. After yesterday’s good performance in the dry (5th position), the Frenchman aboard the Michelin-shod Honda RC212V set impressive lap times in the afternoon qualifying at the 4.448 km race track clocking his quickest lap time of 1’28.808 less than one tenth off the front row time. Randy is the second placed Honda in the grid for tomorrow’s 27 lap-race that gets underway at 16:00 local time. Pole position was claimed by Stoner on Ducati followed by Lorenzo and Hayden. De Puniet 4th: “I am very happy about the result and the job we made for tomorrow’s race. We tested different rear race tyres with good results but we still have to make our choice for the race. However my pace was consistently fast and I can say that we have got the potential to finish in the top eight positions. I feel satisfied about my performance on Q-tyres and missed the front row for one tenth only but this 4th place is a very positive result for me and the crew”. More, from a press release issued by Alice Ducati: 2008 MotoGP World Championship Alice Team Phillip Island, Australia, sixteenth MotoGP round Qualifying, Saturday October 4th 2008 FIFTH ROW FOR THE ALICE TEAM RIDERS IN THE GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA Sunny day at Phillip Island where the MotoGP riders have battled in the qualifying session valid for the Grand Prix of Australia. The red and white duo didn’t make it to go further than the fifth row with Elias and Guintoli respectively in thirteenth and fourteenth position. The Catalan rider encountered some difficulties with the tyres, while the French rider crashed in the morning session fracturing his left shoulder blade. Not at the best condition he has chosen anyway to step on the bike in the afternoon concluding only a few thousands of a second from his teammate. Thanks to the help of the Clinica Mobile doctors he will try to recover in the best way possible for tomorrow’s race that will start at 4pm local time. Fabiano Sterlacchini; Alice Team Technical Director “We have some problems with the temperature. Toni found a hard time to warm up his rear tire and I think this is due to his riding style. Compare to the yesterday’s first free practice we have improved our lap times, but we are still too far from the fastest riders. Tomorrow morning we will have to understand what to modify to improve his rhythm. Sylvain has injured his left shoulder blade and notwithstanding the doctors suggested him to don’t ride this afternoon, he preferred to step on his bike and with his physical condition he hasn’t done so bad.” Toni Elias Alice Team rider (13th best lap time in 1:30.202; Total laps 24) “I found the same problem as yesterday with the tyres. There was the same temperature and the feeling was, unfortunately, the same. We kept the same handicap and like this it was impossible to push to the maximum. With the race tire I made it to reached the ninth best lap time and I hope to improve even more tomorrow. I think that at the beginning of the race I will have to be really careful to let the tyres warm up in the best way possible.” Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team rider (14th best lap time in 1:30.297; Total laps 29 “I have a lot of pain in the left shoulder. I have fractured the left shoulder blade and like this it is really hard to push to the maximum. Edwards has allowed me to follow him in the fast lap and I conquer a good lap time. Tomorrow it will be anyway really hard for me due to my physical conditions, but I will give my best as always.” More, from a press release issued by Tech3 Yamaha: Australian Grand Prix Phillip Island Qualifying Practice Sat. 4 Oct. 2008 Toseland and Edwards hoping for double celebration in Australia James Toseland boosted his hopes of celebrating his 28th birthday in style tomorrow after he qualified his Tech 3 Yamaha in a superb fifth place on the grid for the Australian MotoGP race. The British rider was in sparkling form in gloriously sunny conditions to miss out on a maiden pole position by only 0.366s. And a second front row start of his impressive rookie campaign only eluded him by 0.2s, with a determined Toseland able to lap close to the leading times on race and qualifying tyres. Toseland, who won on his last race appearance at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit at the 2007 World Superbike event, is confident he can challenge for a podium finish having taken full advantage of the improved conditions today to fine-tune the race set-up on his YZR-M1 machine. Minor adjustments in race trim reaped big dividends this afternoon with Toseland able to lap comfortably in the high 1.30 bracket. Edwards warmed up for his 100th MotoGP appearance in tomorrow’s 27-lap race with a solid performance to finish seventh quickest with a best lap of 1.29.513. The American led the session after running his first Michelin qualifying tyre, and although he was able to improve his lap time by 0.5s, he missed the second row by just 0.236s having looked on course to claim his first second row start since the Assen race in late June until the closing moments. Edwards is still confident of a strong race following an impressive showing this morning when he was fifth quickest in final free practice. James Toseland 5th 1.29.031 25 laps “For once it feels nice to be slightly miserable because I know I could have been on the front row. I went wide at the second corner and I had a bit of a slide coming out of Siberia on my last qualifier but I came across the line and saw a 29 flat. I was pleased with that, but when I saw the front row was a 28.7 and pole was a 28.6, I realised I could have perhaps got pole being only three-tenths off even with a couple of mistakes. At least it is nice to know where I lost those three-tenths and that with a bit more time I could have found them rather than wondering where I need to make up time on the quick guys. I’ve got to thank my guys at Tech 3 because we have worked well all weekend. The bike has been brilliant in the dry and it is a long time since I have come to such a familiar track and been comfortable with the bike. And when it all comes together it is a great feeling to show people what I’m capable of. If I can’t do well at these tracks then I’m in trouble. So it is nice to prove that on a track I’ve got some experience on with this bike, I can get the job done. We have got a great set-up for the race having made a small change on the rear. The new setting helped me use the tyre a bit better on the corner exit, so rather than spinning and going sideways it was just hooking up a bit better and on these long apex corners it is better for the tyre life, which is crucial at this track. If we can get a good start, there is no reason why I can’t run at the front. It is an exciting prospect because it has been a long time since I’ve been able to push at the front, and that’s all I came to MotoGP for. Looking at the times it could be a cracking race and I will be giving it my all to celebrate my birthday with a good result.” Colin Edwards 7th 1.29.513 24 laps “I thought it was going to be much better after I got fifth this morning when I was really happy. We just reverted back to our standard setting this morning and instantly I felt good. I was running a good pace and I felt really confident for qualifying. But we had to change bikes for this afternoon and I just didn’t have the same feel. Normally changing bikes isn’t a big deal, but I think on a track like this where everything is so fast and it all feels so sensitive, I felt the change a lot more. It just felt rigid and I couldn’t get much feel. And when you have got push so much harder on the qualifying tyres, it is hard to go fast when you don’t have feel. After all that happened, to come out of it with seventh, I’m actually really happy. It could have been a lot worse given how uncomfortable I felt so I can’t complain too much. I’m still looking forward to tomorrow and I believe I can get in the fight, because it is crucial to hang in the slipstream around here. It’s my 100th Grand Prix tomorrow and I’ve had some memorable moments since 2003. Hopefully I can make tomorrow one of them.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing: DIFFICULT DAY FOR KAWASAKI AT PHILLIP ISLAND Kawasaki’s John Hopkins and Anthony West remain optimistic ahead of tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix, despite finishing today’s qualifying in 16th and 18th positions after both suffered with cornering difficulties aboard their Ninja ZX-RR race machines. Hopkins made a host of set-up changes ahead of the final free practice this morning, but like many other of the riders out on track in the early session, the Kawasaki pilot was caught out on cold tyres and crashed without injury after losing the front of his Ninja ZX-RR. Undeterred, Hopkins completed 25 laps in this afternoon’s qualifying stint to continue improving the balance of his machine, to aid cornering around the Australian track. The 25-year-old Anglo-American was struggling particularly at the notorious final corner, through which riders must carry maximum speed onto the start-finish straight. Despite qualifying in 16th place on the grid, Hopkins and his crew have some ideas on how to find a more workable set-up for his machine for the 27-lap race, and intend to make further changes in tomorrow’s warm-up session. West also endured a difficult day at the Phillip Island circuit, as he qualified in 18th position for his home Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Australian has found it difficult to gain feedback from his race machine, resulting in a lack of traction that has hindered his speed out of the turns. West made various set-up changes, which offered him an improved front-end feeling, but the Kawasaki pilot was still unable to find the grip level in the rear of his machine, both on race and qualifying rubber. Although frustrated, West is hoping that overnight he, along with his crew, can make significant improvements for tomorrow’s race. John Hopkins #21 – 16th – 1’31.157 “Our ultimate goal today was to find a more workable setting, particularly in the balance of the machine, as we were pushing the front going into the turns, and losing the rear on the way out. We have been trying to find a better direction and although we’ve made some improvements, they weren’t significant enough to give us a good lap time. We had a small crash this morning when I lost the front going into Honda Corner, because in the cold conditions we just didn’t have enough heat in the tyre. We need to find better turning and stability on the machine to make use of the grip available. Out of the whole lap I’m losing a lot of time at the final turn, and this is definitely the main area that needs improvement for tomorrow.” Anthony West #13 – 18th – 1’31.995 “We made a lot of changes today to try and get more feeling from the bike, and although we found some improvement in the front-end, we haven’t made enough steps for the overall machine feedback. The bike doesn’t feel particularly stable in the turns, and on a qualifying tyre the situation is no different, because I can’t feel the grip level that’s there. This is frustrating because obviously this is my home Grand Prix and I really wanted to do well, but so far we haven’t managed to achieve the lap times we need. I’m not overly confident for tomorrow, but hopefully overnight we can find something that will make a significant difference for the race.” Ichiro Yoda Kawasaki Racing Director “At Motegi we made some steps forward, especially with John as he found improvement in the braking stability and acceleration of the machine. Both riders had similar lap times, and we expected to continue our progress here at Phillip Island. However, the package we have at the moment is not working well when cornering here, particularly in the lower-speed turns, and both riders are suffering with similar difficulties. We have tried some different set-up changes to find a solution to this, but we particularly need to improve how the bike handles from the braking point to the apex of the turn. At present the machine is running wide into the turns, so the riders have to apply the throttle later, resulting in the rear spinning, and this is obviously where they are losing a lot of time. We will work overnight to try to find a better solution to this for tomorrow, although we do already have some direction in how to improve this situation.” 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1’28.665; 2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +0.069; 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.091; 4. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP +0.143; 5. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha +0.366; 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.612; 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha +0.848; 8. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scot +0.893; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini +1.045; 10. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini +1.260; 16. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.492; 18. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +3.330 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: QUALIFYING 1 REPORT – 04/10/2008 Qualifying mishap leaves Rossi on fourth row down under An unfortunate mistake in the later stages of this afternoon’s qualifying session means that Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi will start tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix from the outside of the fourth row. The new world champion ran off onto the grass approaching turn three and fell awkwardly when he hit the gravel trap, suffering slight whiplash and some damage to the muscles in his neck in the process. He will undergo some intensive physiotherapy this evening but should be fit to race tomorrow. With sunny but cool temperatures replacing yesterday’s downpour, Rossi was sixth fastest this morning. This afternoon he was confident of making a play for the front row and had set the fastest sector one time yet with his second qualifying tyre when he ran wide onto the slightly-damp grass and was unable to bring his M1 back onto the track. He returned to the pits and, after being checked by the doctor, went out on his second bike but was a few seconds late crossing the line and unfortunately out of time for another flying lap. With the championship title already under his belt, there is no pressure for the Italian tomorrow but he is nonetheless keen for a good result and will be hoping he is in good enough shape to attempt a charge through the field Valentino Rossi – Position: 12th Time: 1’30.014 – Laps: 23 “I was pushing a lot with the qualifying tyre but unfortunately I went too wide at turn two and I came onto the grass on the exit. I thought I could take the bike back onto the track but, as soon as I touched the muddy grass I lost control and I couldn’t stop it. Then I bumped my head and neck pretty hard when I landed in the gravel. It’s a pity that I will have to start from 12th tomorrow, because this afternoon, with my Bridgestone race tyres, I had a very good pace. Now Dr. Costa and the Clinica Mobile staff will work to put me in good shape again – I am having treatment on my neck and then I will go immediately back to the hotel to rest until tomorrow. Tomorrow I am sure I will feel a lot better; we have good tyres and a good set-up so I will try to ride a good race!” Davide Brivio – Team Manager “Everything was going very well until this happened! It wasn’t really a crash, Valentino just went a little bit off track, couldn’t come back on and then hit the gravel. It was a pity because we were looking quite strong and our pace this afternoon was good. Valentino has some pain in his neck and he is now having some treatment to make him more comfortable for the night. Tomorrow morning he will have more treatment to make sure he is in the best shape possible for the race, and then we will see!” Lorenzo on front row and relishing island challenge Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo sealed the seventh front row start of his rookie season today, qualifying second for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. The Spaniard, who has won the last two 250cc races here, will start behind Casey Stoner with Nicky Hayden rounding out the front row. After finding himself in better shape in the wet than the dry yesterday, a few overnight set-up changes to his M1 put the youngster in fine form today, which was dry and sunny. Lorenzo was third fastest this morning and carried on in the same fashion this afternoon, improving his race pace throughout the early part of the session before setting consecutively faster times with each of his four Michelin qualifying tyres. His final lap was just 0.069 seconds off Stoner’s and, with the first four this afternoon all under the previous pole record, it looks like being an exciting battle when the race gets underway at the later time of 1600 local time tomorrow. Jorge Lorenzo – Position 2nd Time -1’28.734 – Laps 30 I’ve been fairly consistent throughout the sessions here and we made another step this morning which allowed me to be quite fast this afternoon. The weather was more complicated than it looked because the wind was very strong, but anyway my bike worked very well. I am disappointed to miss out on the pole position by such a tiny amount but anyway I am happy to be on the front row and also to have such a good race pace. My rivals are fast too and we know that it is going to be a hard battle, but I am really looking forward to it. Yesterday we tried some practice starts, because this has been an issue for me lately, so now I hope I can get a good start tomorrow, stay at the front and try to fight. Thanks to my team and Michelin for getting us onto the front row again; the fourth race in a row!” Daniele Magnoli – Team Manager “It’s very good to be starting on the front row here; tomorrow we have a real chance of a good race. We improved quite a lot in the dry from yesterday, but we still have to improve the rear traction a little more. Our pace today was pretty good and we selected the best tyre, hopefully the conditions will allow us to use this one tomorrow. With the Michelin qualifiers Jorge was very fast and unfortunately we missed the front row by just 0.069 seconds! We will use tomorrow’s warm-up to refine the setting a little bit more but we’re in good shape and we’re looking forward to an exciting race.” Toseland and Edwards hoping for double celebration in Australia James Toseland boosted his hopes of celebrating his 28th birthday in style tomorrow after he qualified his Tech 3 Yamaha in a superb fifth place on the grid for the Australian MotoGP race. The British rider was in sparkling form in gloriously sunny conditions to miss out on a maiden pole position by only 0.366s. And a second front row start of his impressive rookie campaign only eluded him by 0.2s, with a determined Toseland able to lap close to the leading times on race and qualifying tyres. Toseland, who won on his last race appearance at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit at the 2007 World Superbike event, is confident he can challenge for a podium finish having taken full advantage of the improved conditions today to fine-tune the race set-up on his YZR-M1 machine. Minor adjustments in race trim reaped big dividends this afternoon with Toseland able to lap comfortably in the high 1.30 bracket. Edwards warmed up for his 100th MotoGP appearance in tomorrow’s 27-lap race with a solid performance to finish seventh quickest with a best lap of 1.29.513. The American led the session after running his first Michelin qualifying tyre, and although he was able to improve his lap time by 0.5s, he missed the second row by just 0.236s having looked on course to claim his first second row start since the Assen race in late June until the closing moments. Edwards is still confident of a strong race following an impressive showing this morning when he was fifth quickest in final free practice. James Toseland – Position 5th Time 1’29.031 – 25 laps “For once it feels nice to be slightly miserable because I know I could have been on the front row. I went wide at the second corner and I had a bit of a slide coming out of Siberia on my last qualifier but I came across the line and saw a 29 flat. I was pleased with that, but when I saw the front row was a 28.7 and pole was a 28.6, I realised I could have perhaps got pole being only three-tenths off even with a couple of mistakes. At least it is nice to know where I lost those three-tenths and that with a bit more time I could have found them rather than wondering where I need to make up time on the quick guys. I’ve got to thank my guys at Tech 3 because we have worked well all weekend. The bike has been brilliant in the dry and it is a long time since I have come to such a familiar track and been comfortable with the bike. And when it all comes together it is a great feeling to show people what I’m capable of. If I can’t do well at these tracks then I’m in trouble. “So it is nice to prove that on a track I’ve got some experience on with this bike, I can get the job done. We have got a great set-up for the race having made a small change on the rear. The new setting helped me use the tyre a bit better on the corner exit, so rather than spinning and going sideways it was just hooking up a bit better and on these long apex corners it is better for the tyre life, which is crucial at this track. If we can get a good start, there is no reason why I can’t run at the front. It is an exciting prospect because it has been a long time since I’ve been able to push at the front, and that’s all I came to MotoGP for. Looking at the times it could be a cracking race and I will be giving it my all to celebrate my birthday with a good result.” Colin Edwards – Position 7th Time 1’29.513 – 24 laps “I thought it was going to be much better after I got fifth this morning when I was really happy. We just reverted back to our standard setting this morning and instantly I felt good. I was running a good pace and I felt really confident for qualifying. But we had to change bikes for this afternoon and I just didn’t have the same feel. Normally changing bikes isn’t a big deal, but I think on a track like this where everything is so fast and it all feels so sensitive, I felt the change a lot more. It just felt rigid and I couldn’t get much feel. And when you have got push so much harder on the qualifying tyres, it is hard to go fast when you don’t have feel. After all that happened, to come out of it with seventh, I’m actually really happy. It could have been a lot worse given how uncomfortable I felt so I can’t complain too much. “I’m still looking forward to tomorrow and I believe I can get in the fight, because it is crucial to hang in the slipstream around here. It’s my 100th Grand Prix tomorrow and I’ve had some memorable moments since 2003. Hopefully I can make tomorrow one of them.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: REPSOL HONDA’S HAYDEN ON ISLAND FROM ROW Australian Grand Prix, Phillip Island Qualifying, Saturday October 4 2008 Nicky Hayden today stormed to his second front-row start in as many weekends, the Repsol Honda rider showing dazzling speed aboard his RC212V around the hugely challenging Phillip Island racetrack. Hayden was in the fight for pole position throughout this afternoon’s qualifying session, run in cool, breezy conditions. He twice set the pace before ending up third quickest, just 0.091 seconds off the fastest time, and was one of four men to break his own 1m 29.020s outright track record, which he established in 2006, the last year of the 990s. And yet the American was somewhat disappointed to have missed out on pole at one of his favourite tracks, having been fastest in this morning’s final free practice session and in yesterday afternoon’s soaking-wet session. For tomorrow Hayden plans some further fine tuning of machine settings, working to find more traction round a racetrack which involves a lot of speed and a lot of throttle. Nicky Hayden, 3rd fastest, 1m 28.756s “The front row is always really important and I’m happy to there, but to be honest I’m a bit disappointed. I’ve had a couple of poles here before, and today another one certainly wasn’t out of the question, there was less than a tenth in it. I would really liked to have been on pole, the season’s on its way out, so it would be nice to have salvaged one of them. But we have been competitive all weekend, fastest this morning and in the rain yesterday, so we’re not too far away. I know the race isn’t going to be easy, we need to sweeten up the bike to see if we can get some more traction, also the rider’s going to have to get it together a little better. The team is doing a great job here, everyone at Repsol Honda is working hard and the Michelin tyres seem to be good. I’ll try to get in there tomorrow and not let these guys get away from me.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “Nicky did a very good job today, so he will be able to start from the front row tomorrow. His motivation is very high at the moment and this will give him an extra boost for the race. His race pace is quite good and he really likes this racetrack, so we hope he can have a great race and fight for the win.” More, from another press release issued by Honda Racing: PEDROSA ON SECOND ROW AND RACE READY Australian Grand Prix, Phillip Island Qualifying, Saturday October 4 2008 Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa will start tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix from the second row of the grid following a strong performance in today’s record-breaking qualifying session. Pedrosa wasn’t fully satisfied with his best lap this afternoon, but he is very happy with his race pace, which is always more important than a one-off qualifying lap. The Spaniard worked hard throughout the day, working with his crew and his Bridgestone technician to choose the best race tyres. Conditions were especially cool this morning, but the track warmed up for the afternoon session, allowing Pedrosa to focus on race tyre choice, before switching to qualifying mode. His best qualifying lap was just six tenths off pole position. Dani Pedrosa, sixth fastest, 1m 29.277s “Tomorrow I will take the start from the second row it’s important to be close to the front of the grid for this race, so you can get away with the leaders. The Bridgestone qualifying tyres worked very well in this afternoon’s qualifying session but I couldn’t exploit their potential to the maximum. We struggled a bit this morning because conditions were pretty cold, then everything improved this afternoon with warmer track temperatures All in all, it was a positive day, I have a good race pace, which is most important, and I’m feeling quite confident for the race. Tomorrow it will important to have a good start, the first laps will be crucial. Tyres consistency will be determined but it is also very physical race.” Kazuhiko Yamano – Team Manager “Both the rider and the machine have improved during today’s two sessions and tomorrow Dani will start from the second row. He has a very good race pace and his target is victory. We are expecting a tough battle because there are many competitive riders with a similar race pace.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Stoner takes stunning home pole at Phillip Island Round 16: Australia Qualifying Phillip Island Saturday 4 October 2008 Ducati’s Casey Stoner has taken a sensational pole position for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix after producing a stunning final qualifying lap at Phillip Island this afternoon. It is Stoner’s eighth pole position of the season so far and the tenth in total for a Bridgestone-shod rider in 2008. A Bridgestone rider has not taken the top spot in qualifying at Phillip Island since the tyre manufacturer’s debut MotoGP season in 2002 when Jeremy McWilliams scored the first ever Bridgestone MotoGP pole position. Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was the next best man using Bridgestone qualifying tyres this afternoon, setting the sixth fastest time to claim a second row place on the grid for the second consecutive race. Shinya Nakano claimed a top ten position aboard the San Carlo Honda Gresini machine in ninth place, the same position he started last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. His team-mate Alex De Angelis rounded out the top ten to take his best qualifying result since he was 5th in Brno back in August. For Bridgestone, it proved to be another challenging qualifying session with riders having to intelligently manage their qualifying tyres over the demanding 4.448km Phillip Island lap. However, Stoner’s pole time still represented a notable 0.4s improvement over the existing pole record, set by Nicky Hayden on a 990cc machine back in 2006, and a massive 1.2s quicker than his qualifying time from last season. Before the switch to qualifying rubber, four Bridgestone riders led the way on race tyres with Stoner, Pedrosa, Rossi and De Angelis occupying the top positions, suggesting that there is more potential to come for tomorrow’s Australian GP, which is one of the toughest of the season for tyre manufacturers. Shinji Aoki – Bridgestone Motorsport Assistant Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development Q: What were the issues faced by Bridgestone in today’s qualifying session? A: “Although Phillip Island was the scene of the first ever Bridgestone MotoGP pole position in 2002, it has not been one of our favoured tracks for qualifying results in recent years. It was a fantastic lap from Casey and our thanks go to him for our tenth pole position of the season. Our other riders were not able to get such a lap time from the qualifiers today so a good start in tomorrow’s race will be especially important. It was unfortunate that Valentino crashed today, his feeling with the qualifying tyre was good so I think we would have seen him near the front of the grid as well. Dani has a second row starting position, and both Honda Gresini riders are in the top ten with an encouraging race pace, so it will be interesting to see what progress they can make tomorrow.” Q: Has Bridgestone found better pace on race tyres today? A: “The race tyre performance this morning was not easy because the track was quite cool and we saw a number of crashes, but this afternoon looked much better. Casey, Valentino, Dani and Alex in particular showed a good pace, so we hope that they will be able to maintain such a level over 27 laps tomorrow. Consistency and durability will be the most important factors in the race and we still have to see how the left-hand side of the tyre behaves over the complete race distance. So far, I think the tyre behaviour is within our expectations, but we know it is going to be a tough battle with our rivals who appear very competitive here this weekend.” Bridgestone-shod Riders’ Qualifying Session Results Pos. Rider Team Qualifying Time (pos) Gap to Pole P1 Casey Stoner Ducati Corse 1m28.665s Pole (New lap record) P6 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1m29.277s +0.612s P9 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m29.710s +1.045s P10 Alex de Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m29.925s +1.260s P11 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m29.942s +1.277s P12 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m30.014s +1.349s P13 Toni Elias Alice Team 1m30.202s +1.537s P14 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team 1m30.297s +1.632s P15 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m30.545s +1.880s P16 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team 1m31.157s +2.492s P17 Marco Melandri Ducati Corse 1m31.939s +3.274s P18 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team 1m31.995s +3.330s Weather: Dry Air 18°C, Track 30°C (Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by JiR Team Scot: Phillip Island Australia 04 October 2008 Andrea Dovizioso ready for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix The second day of testing at Phillip Island for the Australian Grand Prix has seen Andrea Dovizioso finish qualifying in eighth place. The rider of the JiR Team Scot squad focused in the morning to finalize the settings on his Honda RC212V to improve his race-pace. The whole test program, which was carried out completely, was focused on the various Michelin tyres and allowed JiR Team Scot to identify the choice for tomorrow. In race configuration Andrea Dovizioso is ready to deal make a good start, from his position on the third row. Gianni Berti Technical Coordinator JiR Team Scot “We are very satisfied with the race-pace of Andrea, so tomorrow we could see him up there racing with the top protagonists. The qualifying we wanted to finish higher up in, but this position will suit us well. Andrea will have to make a good start to make the most of the technical package available to him. During the two days of intense testing here, we have used a lot of material from Michelin, to find the best solution for the race.” Andrea Dovizioso Rider JiR Team Scot MotoGP HONDA RC212V 8th-best time: 1’29 “558 “I am very satisfied with practice and qualifying today. After an excellent day yesterday, today we have continued to work towards being competitive in the race. We achieved that result, but tomorrow is another day and we will have to do the best we can. We have made the most of all the material made available by Michelin, even trying a very soft compound tyre, and we have also made progress with the front rubber. I can always turn a time of around 1’37” that would allow me to stay with the front-runners. I will have to make a good start but from the third row I think I can recover some positions well. Tomorrow in the warm-up we will have the chance to make some more adjustments, but we know which way to go, so I think we could make a good race.” Pietro Caprara Head Technician JiR Team Scot “We made a good qualifying session and done well with race set-up. Andrea has been competitive and that could enable us to make a good race. Much of the work of both days was focused on tyres, using different compounds and carcasses, and checking the temperatures on the left side of the tyre as at than the Phillip Island circuit, this is the side that is under the most stress.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki in positive mood despite tough qualifying Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen are convinced that they will improve on their grid positions during tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix, as both improved their race-tyre lap times today. Capirossi (P11, 1’29.942, 30 laps) and Vermeulen (P15, 1’30.545, 30 laps) will start from the fourth and fifth rows respectively for Sunday’s 27-lap race, after a tough qualifying session where both riders struggled to get their Suzuki GSV-Rs to use the extra-sticky qualifying tyres to their full potential. The two Rizla Suzuki riders made significant improvements in their lap times on race tyres at the start of this afternoon’s qualifying session, as they used the time to make vital final changes to the set-up of their machines. Capirossi moved up to eighth quickest, with Vermeulen 12th, and both riders believe they will go quicker in tomorrow’s race, even though they know it will be a difficult task from their starting positions to challenge towards the front. Capirossi’s cause wasn’t helped today by a huge crash this morning, fortunately he walked away from the incident unscathed unlike his bike which needed a complete re-build. Today’s qualifying was held in sunny but very cool conditions, air temperature only reached 18ºC, but the sun lifted the track temperature to a more acceptable 38ºC. Home-grown hero Casey Stoner took pole position on his factory Ducati. Tomorrow’s race is round 16 of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship and the action will get underway at the later time of 16.00hrs local time (05.00hrs GMT). Loris Capirossi: “Today we improved a bit compared to yesterday, but we know this is the not the best track for us so we are quite happy with how much we have improved here since last winter’s test. With the race tyre today my rhythm was not too bad, but we struggled a bit with the qualifiers and couldn’t quite get the grip we wanted. I think we can still have a good race tomorrow but for sure it will be a little bit tough! “I also want to say a really big thank-you to all my team, because when I crashed this morning the bike was completely destroyed and it needed a 100% re-build, but they did it in one-and-a-half hours and that was really fantastic!” Chris Vermeulen: “I’m not too happy with my qualifying position, but we have definitely taken big steps with the bike today and on the race tyres we are a lot further up and can consistently run those times. I am quite happy with the race tyre situation, but we still had a similar sort of problem with using the qualifiers at Phillip Island as we have had before here. The bike uses the tyre too hard and we are not quite able to maintain the grip for a whole lap which makes it quite difficult for us. I just hope I can get a good start tomorrow and put on a good show for all the Aussie fans here!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “We have taken a step today, but unfortunately it hasn’t shown itself in the qualifying result. The times are closer to the front than they have been before, but the positions have not really improved. I think we can be much stronger over race distance tomorrow. Loris has always gone well at Phillip Island and Chris has got a big motivation to do everything he can at his home Grand Prix so let’s hope we can produce something spectacular tomorrow!” “As Loris said, well done to the team including Chris’s crew for helping out – for building a new bike so quickly in between sessions. It ran faultlessly this afternoon, which is testament to the quality of the guys’ work.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: SENSATIONAL STONER ON POLE AT THE ISLAND AS MELANDRI STRUGGLES Casey Stoner took his eighth pole position of the season at Phillip Island today and with it claimed the prize of a new car for the “MotoGP Best Qualifier 2008”, following an entertaining qualifying session that saw a host of different riders battling for top spot on tomorrow’s grid. The Australian got maximum performance from his final Bridgestone qualifying tyre to hold off a four-pronged attack from Michelin, with the low track temperatures – despite bright sunshine – suiting their softer compounds. There were decidedly different fortunes for his team-mate Marco Melandri, who has been unable to adapt his bike to this demanding circuit layout. CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) Pole Position: 1’28.665 “We struggled a little bit this morning with race set-up so we needed this afternoon to sort things out and get the bike working properly on a race tyre. Once we did that I felt pretty confident that we could stick a qualifying tyre in and put a good lap together. This is actually the first time this season we’ve had three identical qualifying tyres and the first one ran out of grip in the final sequence of left-handers. With the last one I tried to preserve it a bit better by picking the bike up out of the corners earlier and even then it was do-or-die in those final three bends. I thought the lap time would be good enough for a front row start but we ended up on pole position so I’m surprised and extra happy today. This is my home race but there is no pressure on us and I just want to enjoy it. I hope the fans do too.” MARCO MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team) 17th: 1’31.939 “I’m really disappointed because this was supposed to be a good track for us but it’s turned out to be even more difficult than the rest. After the problem we had this morning and the crash, which was really strange because I was riding slowly and upright, things didn’t improve. Normally I try to brake really hard to make up for the fact we’re losing out on corner exit but today I couldn’t do that because I had no confidence under breaking. It’s a really difficult situation and we’ll have to wait and see if we can turn it around for the race.”