Casey Stoner has the 2011 MotoGP championship title already in the bag, but the Australian is still hungry for wins as he showed it this afternoon at Valencia, when he blazed to his 12th pole position of the season, equalling the record set by five-time 500cc world champion Mick Doohan.
The weather conditions were mixed in this last ever qualifying session with the 800s, with a few drops of rain falling occasionally, but that didn’t stop the Repsol Honda rider from killing the rest of the field with a stunning and entertaining lap of 1’31.
861 which left team mate Dani Pedrosa – who has won in every category at this Spanish circuit – a very distant second, and more than a massive second adrift, the alien on two wheels would later tell journalists at the parc ferme he could have gone even faster!Ben Spies came back from his ache and pains to qualify third, just 0.
182s slower than Pedrosa, but he also pipped an incredibly consistent Randy de Puniet from the front row in the final minute.
This was the Pramac Ducati’s rider best qualifying session this season.
Alvaro Bautist put the wheels of his Rizla Suzuki ahead of Valentino Rossi’s and Nicky Hayden’s factory Ducatis to finish in fifth.
Andrea Dovizioso in his last qualifying session with Repsol Honda crashed out on final flying lap, but he was eighth.
Dovizioso is reported not to have suffered any fractures, but has problems with his thumb.
Hector Barbera had technical problems with his Aspar Ducati early in the session, but nonetheless qualified 9th and he was followed by Cardion AB Ducati rider Karel Abraham, who closed out the top ten.
Loris Capirossi will start his final MotoGP race – riding with Simoncelli’s #58 – in 12th ahead of Toni Elias and Hiroshi Aoyama.
This was the last qualifying session for both Honda riders, as they’ll be leaving the MotoGP series.
MotoGP Valencia Qualifying results:01- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 1’31.
86102- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 1.
01403- Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
19604- Randy De Puniet – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 1.
25705- Alvaro Bautista – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP – Suzuki GSV-R – + 1.
58206- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11.
1 – + 1.
61707- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11.
1 – + 1.
79508- Andrea Dovizioso – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 1.
96309- Hector Barbera – Mapfre Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
32510- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
40411- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 2.
46812- Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
81013- Toni Elias – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC212V – + 2.
81914- Hiroshi Aoyama – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 2.
97715- Katsuyuki Nakasuga – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 4.
13816- Josh Hayes – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 4.
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