Lorenzo Takes Japan GP Pole With Record Time
Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 12:44 pm Under Sports News 10 views
MOTEGI, Japan: Spanish MotoGP rookie Jorge Lorenzo shattered the course record to take pole position here Saturday for the Japanese Grand Prix with championship leader Valentino Rossi fourth.
The 21-year-old Lorenzo clocked the best lap time of 1min 45.543sec in a sun-drenched qualifying session for Sunday’s race on a Michelin-shod Yamaha for his fourth pole position of the season.
He clipped the old course record of 1:45.724 set by Italian Loris Capirossi in qualifying for the 2006 Grand Prix when the premier class used up-to-990cc machines before the MotoGP limit was lowered to the current 800cc.
The time also bettered by 0.321 seconds the best 800cc Japanese GP qualifying time recorded by countryman Dani Pedrosa on a Honda last year.
Defending world champion and Ducati ace Casey Stoner of Australia posted the second best time of 1:45.831 on the 4.8-kilometre (three-mile) stop-and-go Motegi track, ahead of American Honda rider Nicky Hayden at 1:45.971.
Italian ace Rossi was fourth fastest at 1:46.060 to stay in the hunt for his sixth premier-class world title.
The 29-year-old Rossi only needs to finish third here — even if his nearest rival in the championship Stoner wins the race for 25 GP points — to take the world title, his first in three years.
Rossi, Lorenzo’s senior Yamaha teammate who has switched his rubber to Bridgestone from Michelin at the start of the season, is cushioned by a 87-point lead with four races to go in the season.
Stoner, 22, hampered in recent races by fresh damage to his left wrist which was injured in 2003, has clinched four races so far this season but missed the podium in the last three GPs.
Rossi chalked his fourth straight win, and seventh of the season, in a storm-shortened Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Speedway two weeks ago.
|
Loading ...
Sports News top stories
-
EU ministers set for acrimonious talks on relaxing milk quotas
- This Category's RSS Feed
Frankfurt - Only the sky was the limit when Yvonne Buschbaum soared to big heights as one... Read more »
Pakistan Captain Dismisses Claims of YousafLAHORE: Pakistan cricket captain, Shoaib Malik has dismissed claims of his senior colleague... Read more »
India Will Tour Pakistan, BCCI To PCBCricket Board (PCB) breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday after the Indian cricket board assured... Read more »
‘No change in schedule to suit Dhoni’BCCI Vice-President Lalit Modi on Tuesday (Nov 18) said the first cricket Test between England... Read more »
Sania Mirza’s Pak Tour Postponed Due To Lack of SponsorshipIslamabad: Due to lack of sponsors, Indian women tennis ace Sania Mirza’s proposed Pakistan... Read more »
Something to say about this news story?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Headlines from Sports News
- OPEC oil Price continues to Slide
- EU ministers set for acrimonious talks on relaxing milk quotas
- Barack Obama, Democrats Should Rebuild Trust in Government
- Al-Qaida Leader Aazam Assaudi Killed
- India & China will increasingly rely on oil imports by 2030
- Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani Meets Nato Chief
- Govt Aware of Kids Rights Protection: President Asif Ali Zardari
- PM Gilani Condole Demise of Scholar, Filmmaker
- Qazi Hussain Ahmed Urges Govt To End US Cooperation
- Delegations arrive for Russia-Georgia talks in Geneva
Featured Video News
Advertisement
Advertisement
Email Subscription
Advertisement
Latest News In Piture
PESHAWAR: A major Al-Qaida leader... More »
