MotoGP 2005 Qualifying

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi made it two pole positions in a row at Sepang today, outpacing his rivals in searing 40 degree heat. The hard-riding Italian is in storming form at the moment - last weekend he took pole position, race victory and a new lap record at the Japanese GP - thanks to new spec Bridgestone tyres that ideally match the awesome performance of his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici. His team-mate Carlos Checa was also looking good in this afternoon's qualifying session, running at half-distance and ending up just two places places off the second row.

"In fact the pace isn't as fast as we expected but all that matters is that we are in front, so we're very happy," smiled Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. "Everyone is going slower than we went in winter tests here, probably because the track doesn't seem to be as grippy as usual. That's why our main focus today has been improving rear grip by working on bike set-up and choosing the best tyres. Loris rode great and he's just as happy with his race configuration as he is with his qualifying set-up. My only real concern is that the track conditions will change overnight. The surface was very consistent today but if it rains before the race things could change."

The team will race tomorrow without Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo who returned to Europe last night on hearing the sad news that his mother-in-law had passed away.

Loris Capirossi won another thrilling battle for pole position this afternoon to score his fifth pole with the Ducati Marlboro Team. Fresh from his victory at Motegi last Sunday, Capirossi dominated much of the session, then slipped to third behind Sete Gibernau and John Hopkins with ten minutes to go, then fought back to the top on his 20th and last lap. Riding conditions were witheringly hot with track temperatures hitting 50 degrees.

"The team did a great job today, my thanks to all of them," beamed the Italian. "We've had to work harder than we did at Motegi, because the track isn't in such good condition, that's why we're slower than when we tested here last winter. We made many minor adjustments to the suspension today, just looking for more grip. My qualifying run went really well but I also did a lot of laps with race tyres, and I think maybe we're even better with race tyres! It's going to be a long race - this heat makes it tough for the tyres and for the bike."

Capirossi's other poles with the Ducati Marlboro Team are Motegi 2005, Jerez 2003, Assen 2003 and Estoril 2003.

Carlos Checa came within 0.042 seconds of scoring a second-row start for tomorrow's Marlboro Malaysian GP. The Ducati Marlboro Team was in the hunt throughout the session, running as high as second at one point but in the end he was nudged out of seventh spot by reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi.

"I improved a few tenths on qualifiers but not quite enough to keep me on the second row," said Checa, who last weekend scored his best result so far this year, a fourth-place finish at Motegi. "We've made a few small set-up changes today, nothing that big, so now we will wait for the race. I'm pretty happy with the way I went on race tyres, my pace wasn't so bad, but I'm wondering how the tyres will be after a few laps, because the conditions are really tough here. It's going to be very hot, but that's not a problem for me, I like racing in the heat."

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