With MotoGP action finally coming to Japan this season, qualifying at the Twin Rings Motegi Circuit was underway this Saturday. Despite the posturing of the GP riders before the Japanese GP, all of MotoGP’s riders have been in attendance this weekend, with the only exception being Ben Spies who has been present more in body than in spirit, as the American has been battling a bout of food poisoning all week. Helping bulster the ranks further, was an increased showing by HRC, which added test riders Kousuke Akiyoshi and Shinichi Ito to mix on a second LRC Honda bike and HRC wild card bike, respectively.
With the rider’s boycott null and void, attention in the MotoGP paddock could finally focus on racing at Motegi, and the pace was scorching during the qualifying session. With the “best lap” record dropping in the final minutes of the QP, the last year of the 800cc class MotoGP race bikes is certainly not going gently into that good night. With riders pushing the envelope right until the end of the session, qualifying at Motegi was an exciting battle for the pole position. Click through the jump to see the qualifying results.
Qualifying Results from the Japanese GP at Motegi, Japan:
Pos. | No. | Rider | Nation | Team | Bike | Time | Diff. |
1 | 27 | Casey STONER | AUS | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’45.267 | – |
2 | 1 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 1’45.523 | 0.256 |
3 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’45.791 | 0.524 |
4 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’45.966 | 0.699 |
5 | 11 | Ben SPIES | USA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 1’46.042 | 0.775 |
6 | 58 | Marco SIMONCELLI | ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1’46.211 | 0.944 |
7 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1’46.467 | 1.200 |
8 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | Suzuki | 1’46.586 | 1.319 |
9 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP | Ducati | 1’46.694 | 1.427 |
10 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1’46.763 | 1.496 |
11 | 7 | Hiroshi AOYAMA | JPN | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1’46.811 | 1.544 |
12 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1’46.818 | 1.551 |
13 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 1’46.917 | 1.650 |
14 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1’47.165 | 1.898 |
15 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | Cardion AB Motoracing | Ducati | 1’47.922 | 2.655 |
16 | 24 | Toni ELIAS | SPA | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 1’48.169 | 2.902 |
17 | 64 | Kousuke AKIYOSHI | JPN | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 1’48.367 | 3.100 |
18 | 6 | Damian CUDLIN | AUS | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 1’48.962 | 3.695 |
19 | 72 | Shinichi ITO | JPN | Honda Racing Team | Honda | 1’49.971 | 4.704 |
Source: MotoGP; Photo: Honda
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