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MotoGP Donington Park update

Posted by Staff

Friday, 20 June 2008

With the fastest times in both MotoGP sessions on Friday in Donington Park, Casey Stoner was undoubtedly the day´s standout performer in preparation for the bwin.com British Grand Prix.

The Ducati Marlboro rider completed a successful day of practice with a 1´28.253 lap that blitzed Colin Edwards´ 2007 pole position time, giving him a comfortable advantage of half a second over Repsol Honda´s Nicky Hayden. Stoner was the winner of last year´s race at the British circuit, and the chances of a repeat victory look promising for the rider currently fourth in the overall standings.

Hayden repaid Honda´s faith in letting him use the pneumatic valve engine for the RC212V, showing a swift pace and making him the fastest rider of the day for the Japanese factory. The 2006 World Champion had tested the engine last week in Catalunya, and has long championed the use of the motor to kickstart his 2008 campaign. During the afternoon session he also engaged in some light on-track conversation with rival Valentino Rossi, third fastest onboard the Fiat Yamaha M1.

2007 Donington poleman and podium finisher Edwards was fourth quickest with the satellite Yamaha machine, clocking a 1´28.969 lap whilst his young son slept peacefully in the Tech3 Yamaha garage. Donington Park is one of the Texan´s better tracks, a fact reflected in his race pace during the sessions.

Alex de Angelis was the highest placing satellite Honda rider in fifth, ahead of factory man Dani Pedrosa. The latter was using the standard spring valve version of the RC212V engine, having not had sufficient testing time in Catalunya owing to a crash. He also took a tumble on Friday afternoon, although with no obvious ill effects to his injured back. Pedrosa returned to the track later in the session.

Shinya Nakano, James Toseland, Chris Vermeulen and Randy de Puniet completed the fastest ten riders in the combined standings, With Toseland getting to grips with his home track onboard the second Tech 3 Yamaha machine.

Yet to qualify off the front row in 2008, Alvaro Bautista was the fastest rider in the 250cc class as he put himself in provisional pole for the bwin.com British Grand Prix. His 1´31.834 lap of the Donington Park circuit –just 0.175 slower than Jorge Lorenzo´s pole position record- concluded the Friday afternoon World Championship activity.

The rider who beat Bautista in a last lap duel at the previous round, Marco Simoncelli is also on a run of front row starts. If he can confirm or improve his placing from the opening day, it will be four consecutive races at which the Metis Gilera man has started from the first line of attack, with wins at the past two Grands Prix.

Quickest in the first free practice session, Hector Barbera joins Bautista and Simoncelli on the potential front row, alongside Emmi-Caffe Latte´s Thomas Luthi. A second separated Bautista and Luthi´s respective times.

JiR Team Scot´s Yuki Takahashi was fifth fastest, ahead of a fellow Japanese rider in the form of KTM man Hiroshi Aoyama. Julian Simon and Aleix Espargaro completed the temporary second line, which could become the permanent placing if rain affects tomorrow´s final qualifying session.

Championship contenders Mika Kallio and Mattia Pasini finished eleventh and twelfth fastest, with the latter falling in an innocuous lowside.

Looking to regain the leadership of the 125cc World Championship, Simone Corsi took a step closer to his goal with provisional pole in the opening qualifying session at Donington Park. The Jack&Jones WRB rider clocked a 1´37.488 lap in the dry at the British track, something that could prove invaluable if rain falls before the final Saturday run.

Corsi was less than a tenth of a second faster than Gabor Talmacsi, the 2007 World Champion who has returned to form after a difficult start to his title defence. The Hungarian was in turn 0.129 faster than Bancaja Aspar teammate Sergio Gadea who, alongside home rider Scott Redding, also features on the provisional front row.

Provisonal poleman for the past two races, Belson Derbi´s Pol Espargaro was fifth fastest, ahead of the morning´s quickest rider Andrea Iannone. Also placing on the temporary second row are Nico Terol and Repsol KTM rookie Marc Marquez.

A rider favoured for victory this weekend, Polaris World´s Bradley Smith could only manage the twelfth fastest time of the session, having run off track early on.

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