MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner clinched his 12the pole position at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia today, in decisively convincing fashion with a best lap time of 1:31:861, over a second ahead of second place finisher and Respol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa (1:32:875). Stoner also equalled the record of five-time world champion Mick Doohan of 12 pole positions in a single season.Track conditions were tough for this afternoon's qualifying, as the track started out wet and then began to dry up towards the end of the session. Riders have been struggling all weekend with rainy and damp practice conditions on Friday, followed by dry conditions for Saturday morning's free practice. According to Stoner, "This afternoon conditions were very tricky, some parts of the track the rain was a little heavier and you weren't sure how far to push". Conditions started to improve towards the end of the session and with under 10 minutes remaining, Stoner went out on a soft rear tire and set a lap time of 1:31:861 which would remain unchallenged for the rest of the session.
Dani Pedrosa qualified second and also struggled with the wet racetrack, "Qualifying was very tricky especially in the middle of the practice, it was a bit raining and you didn't know how hard to push."
Factory Yamaha's Ben Spies bounced back from a difficult past few weeks by clinching the third spot on the front row of the grid. "It was actually a pretty good session. It was definitely difficult like they said with spitting rain the whole time and not knowing how hard to push on certain parts of the track." Spies circulated patiently on the racetrack, keeping the tires hot in case there was a break in the weather. The strategy paid off as a time of 1:33:057 was quick enough to secure a spot on the front row.
In Moto2 action, Gresini Honda's Michele Pirro secured his first and very special position. According to Pirro, "It is a special pole position because I dedicate the pole to Marco, his family and the team." The entire Gresini Honda family has been struggling all weekend in what has been described as a "surreal atmosphere" by the entire team as the experience the gaping hole left by the loss of Marco Simoncelli. All of the riders in the Gresini Honda camp are working hard and dedicating their riding to their friend and fellow rider this weekend.
History was also made in 125cc qualifying as Mahindra Racing's Danny Webb secured his very first pole position ever, and also the last pole position in the 125cc class, which will be replaced by the Moto3 race category in 2012. Webb took a gamble going out on dry tires about half way through the session, but his feeling to switch to slicks paid off when he pulled in a best time of 1:45:898, nearly a half a second faster than second place rider Louis Rossi. Webb also noted it was an important result for Mahindra, as he and his teammate are about the only two riders in the 125cc class who are not equipped with an Aprilia or Derbi motorcycle. Webb's pole position also comes on the same weekend that Mahindra Racing unveiled its 2012 Moto3 bike.
Follow Inside Motorcycles as we continue to cover MotoGP action from Valencia. Racing takes place on Sunday afternoon in the final round of the world championship series.
