Photography by Gold & Goose
Andrea Dovizioso earned his second career MotoGP pole position and his first in four years while giving Ducati its first pole since Casey Stoner did the deed for the Italian brand in 2010 in what was a thrilling final qualifying session for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at Twin Ring Motegi today.
Using the “super soft” qualifying tire available to the Open class MotoGP bikes and the GP 14.2 version Ducati, Dovizioso turned the fastest ever MotoGP lap of Twin Ring Motegi, his 1:44.502 bettering the lap that Marc Marquez set in Free Practice 3 earlier today. Dovizioso’s first career pole also came at Motegi in 2010.
“We made a really good job from Free Practice 1,” Dovizioso said. “I’m so happy because we are closer than the faster riders so we think about the podium for tomorrow. I want to give a thank you to the team because we start very well and we were able to improve a few tenths practice by practice and it’s nice to have that feeling for the pole position.”
Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi set his best lap of a 1:44.557 on his final lap, but Dovizioso was still on track and the Ducati man did what he needed to do to take pole – besting Rossi by just .055 of a second. This will mark Rossi’s second front-row start of the season.
“I’m very happy and very satisfied,” Rossi said. “Also if Dovi overtake me for the pole position, but the second place is very good for tomorrow. Very important to start from the first row and we improve a lot the bike for the qualifying. In the practice I was not so bad but nothing special. My pace was not enough for fight for victory, but in the qualifying we improve a lot and we hope that this modify of the setting will help me with the pace and I try to go a little bit faster for the race and try to go for the maximum.”
Third fastest went to Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, the Spaniard crashing out of the session on his final lap. Fortunately for Pedrosa, his previous lap was enough to put him on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
“I’m okay fortunately and I think it was a very intense qualifying for me,” Pedrosa said. “I did a good lap times, especially in the second run I was doing it lap by lap and not only one [lap]. Unfortunatley in that last lap when I was coming faster I had a little chatter and lost it with one corner to go. For tomorrow I hope to do a good race and a good start because I am on the front row and we must take that opportunity. It looks like it’s going to be a tight race so hope to be very focused tomorrow.”
Pedrosa’s teammate Marc Marquez will start the GP from the second row after matching his worst qualifying effort of the season in fourth place. Marquez will attempt to wrap up his second successive MotoGP World Championship in Sunday’s race by finishing ahead of Pedrosa and Rossi.
Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo will join Marquez on the second row with the Pramac Ducati of Andrea Iannone joining them after the Italian ripped off the sixth quickest time of the session.
Row three will be led by Monster Tech 3 Yamaha’s Pol Espargaro with Ducati’s Cal Crutchlow and LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl joining him there. Monster Tech 3 Yamaha’s Bradley Smith rounded out the top 10 qualifiers.
Only a tad over half a second separates the top 10.
Nicky Hayden will start from the fifth row tomorrow after qualifying 14th and best Open class Honda.
Final Qualifying
1. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) 1:44.502
2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1:44.557
3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1:44.755
4. Marc Marquez (Honda) 1:44.775
5. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1:44.784
6. Andrea Iannone (Ducati) 1:44.854
7. Pol Espargaro (Yamaha) 1:44.867
8. Cal Crutchow (Ducati) 1:44.898
9. Stefan Bradl (Honda) 1:45.005
10. Bradley Smith (Yamaha) 1:45.044
