Jorge Lorenzo took his third consecutive pole position around the Catalunya track today, in a qualifying battle that saw many different riders at the top of the time sheet. Casey Stoner and Randy de Puniet will complete the front row.
Lorenzo finished with a 1'42.046 time around the Montmelo track, beating Stoner by .354 seconds. Stoner had taken the lead on the 19th lap, but Lorenzo reclaimed the top spot with just a few minutes remaining in the session.
Randy de Puniet also saw himself in the lead toward the end of the session. Puniet was the man to beat with ten minutes left, but he eventually fell back, .102 seconds behind Stoner. This is Puniet's third consecutive front row start.
Pedrosa almost managed to climb into the front row, but finished .08 seconds behind Puniet in fourth. Ben Spies had another impressive qualifying with a fifth place finish.
MotoGP - Catalunya - Qualifying Times
1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 42.046s
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 42.410s
3. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 1m 42.512s
4. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 1m 42.592s
5. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 42.710s
6. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1m 42.866s
7. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 42.903s
8. Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing 1m 42.931s
9. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 42.994s
10. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 43.025s
11. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 43.059s
12. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 43.068s
13. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 1m 43.417s
14. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 43.621s
15. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 1m 43.685s
16. Kousuke Akiyoshi JPN Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1m 45.577s
17. Wataru Yoshikawa JPN Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 45.759s
