Marlboro Ducati's Casey Stoner may not have defended his MotoGP title, but he's still one of the best in the world, evidenced by his record-tying ninth pole of 2008.
Marlboro Ducati's Casey Stoner grabbed the final pole position of the 2008 MotoGP season today in Spain. It is Stoner's ninth pole of the year, a feat that ties Valentino Rossi's record of nine set in 2003. Stoner may not have been able to defend his title this year but he's still serving notice that he will be a force to be reckoned with in 2009.
"It's important to be on the front row because it is so hard to pass at this circuit and it's also nice to take the final pole position of the season. Hopefully the weather stays dry - for us and for the incredible fans here," Stoner said.
The Marlboro Ducati ace didn't get a chance to throw on qualifying rubber until late in the session because of spotty conditions on the track. When he did get a chance to run on a dry surface, Stoner's laps got faster with each qualifying rubber, ultimately besting second-fastest Dani Pedrosa by 0.053-seconds. It is Stoner's 19th career pole.
Repsol Honda's Pedrosa, last year's winner at Valencia, is in great shape to battle for the top spot on the podium. Dani P likes to jump out fast and check out early and has a habit of running well on home soil. A victory in the last race of the season could help assuage disappointment in a season where Pedosa's results didn't live up to expectations.
He will be joined on the front row by Repsol Honda teammate Nicky Hayden. It would be a symbolic victory for Hayden to top of his career with a win for his long-time employers. Hayden has looked strong all weekend, posting the fastest practice times before today's third-fastest effort.
The second row for tomorrow's Spanish GP is headed by Yamaha Tech 3's Colin Edwards, who qualified fourth-fastest.
"Certainly being on the front row we should be happy here. It is a good starting position and it is really important, even though I want to be on pole. For Michelin's last race it would have been nice to give them a pole on their way out," Hayden said.
Heading up the second row will be the Yamaha Tech 3 team of Colin Edwards and James Toseland. The duo improved tremendously after finishing in 9th and 16th after yesterday's wet practice sessions. They will be joined by LCR Honda's Randy DePuniet. The Frenchman was able to overcome a crash to post the sixth-fastest time of the day.
Rizla's Loris Capirossi was the fastest Suzuki qualifier with the eighth-fastest time. The best Kawasaki results were even farther back, with John Hopkins finishing on his Ninja ZX-RR back in 14th.
MotoGP 2008 Valencia Qualifying -
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'31.502
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.053
3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.201
4. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha +0.710
5. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha +1.016
6. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP +1.070
7. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +1.092
8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.112
9. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scot +1.232
10. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha +1.460
11. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Ducati
12. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
13. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Ducati
14. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team
15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Gresini Honda
16. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Gresini Honda
17. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team
18. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team
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