Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) notched his third pole position of the season with a storming lap of 1m 29.337 seconds here at the demanding 4.448km Phillip Island circuit in Australia. His effort was 0.731 seconds inside the previous best qualifying time. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) qualified second and Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) also achieved a front row start for the 12th time this season.

Carlos Checa (Ducati) was the early pacesetter here heading the grid in the early stages of the hour-long qualifying session before Rossi put in a 1m
30.621 second lap in the first quarter. With five minutes to go the Spaniard was the fastest man on the track, but Hayden’s last gasp lap was more than he could respond to.

Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) showed well in the early stages, and even with 12 minutes left on the clock the Roman lay third in the order. But as the pace hotted up with ultra-grippy qualifying tyres fitted in the final ten minutes he was bounced down to the second row of the grid.

Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) was another man who showed good pace with his race set-up, briefly occupying third place with 45 minutes to go to qualify ninth eventually. At the halfway point the front row was Checa, Rossi and Hayden with Tamada, Biaggi and Gibernau on row two.

Hayden now seems to have got the measure of qualifying tyres and the long left-hand turn onto the start/finish straight suited his long dirt-track apprenticeship – the man from Kentucky fired his RC211V onto the chute with real venom in the final minute to make pole his own.

Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) never quite got to grips with the track this time and ended up eighth fastest qualifier. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) managed 12th while Chris Vermeulen, standing in for the injured Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V), qualified a creditable 14th.

Nicky said, “Pole’s pretty cool. The Michelin qualifiers today were really good. I used three sets and they seemed to get better and better. There are times round here when you really shouldn’t be opening the gas but the tyres just gripped – amazing. We’re struggling a little on race pace to be honest so we’re definitely going to have to dig in tomorrow – but I’ll enjoy the pole now.”

Gibernau said, “My fastest lap doesn’t reflect the true situation we’re in. We lapped really well at this circuit in pre-season and now we can’t. I’m not happy at all because we haven’t got a good race pace. The team is checking the data now to see if they can come up with something for the warm-up that will at least give us the chance to fight for the podium.”

Max said, “I can’t say I’m totally happy to be on the second row, but considering where we’ve qualified recently this isn’t so bad. What’s encouraging is that the bike seems to be more balanced than we’ve had it all weekend. We’ve had trouble getting weight on the front and traction at the back but it definitely seems things are getting better. We seem to be able to make some regular fast laps on race tyres.”

Eighth fastest qualifier Marco Melandri said, “We made a few modifications this afternoon to try and improve the bike, but we haven’t had the results we hoped for. We’ll work hard with the team to try and find a solution before the race.”

Tamada, ninth fastest today, said, “Today we tried many settings and things have improved. During the afternoon session I found myself just behind Colin Edwards for a few laps and I could maintain his rhythm. This gave me more confidence and made me understand that if I start well tomorrow near the leading group I can battle with everybody.”

Barros, in 12th, said, “I’m deeply disappointed with today’s practice because it’s not easy to overtake here and to start this far back is a handicap. We calculated the time wrong today and I couldn’t use the last qualifying tyre to take a few more tenths off my lap. My race pace is OK; in the low 1m 31s, but 1m 30s are what’s needed really. In any case, I’m not beaten yet and tomorrow I will do everything I can to get a good result.”

Aussie stand-in Chris Vermeulen said, “It’s fantastic to ride with this team and this bike. We made improvements in every session starting out at 1m 34s and ending up at 1m 31s. I think that’s a good margin in four hours and I’m delighted with it. We’re working together well and I am also getting on with the Michelin engineers. The qualifying tyres offer incredible grip and even though I didn’t make the most of them I still enjoyed using them. Tomorrow I hope to be able to improve my times even further and lap at a constant rhythm. My aim is to finish in the points and as close to another Honda rider as possible.”

The 250cc final qualifying session belonged to homeboy Casey Stoner (Aprilia) who put in a lap of 1m 32.756 seconds to deny Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) his fifth pole position in his rookie 250 season. Lorenzo will line up second, with Alex de Angelis third fastest qualifier and Sebastian Porto (both Aprilia) fourth.

Porto headed the field with 15 minutes of the 45-minute session left to run with series points leader Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) lying fourth and Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) holding seventh place.

But Aussie Stoner stole pole with 11 minutes to go with his unmatchable lap and Lorenzo crashed at speed at turn one in his efforts to best it in the final minute, but his fastest of 1m 32.843s was enough to secure a front row start. Dani has to make do with a second row start from sixth.

Lorenzo said, “I’m very lucky to come away OK from that crash at turn one. It was a fast crash and I’m happy enough with second place on the grid. Now I’ve just got to stay up front from the lights and then we’ll see what happens in the race.”

Hector Barbera (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) qualified fifth and said, “I’m happy, although I couldn’t improve on yesterday’s time. We’ve worked towards the race though, trying to avoid any problems. I was focused on tomorrow’s race today, which should see some progress for me. I’ve got a good set-up, maybe with a few problems at the rear-end. It’s the closest I’ve been all year. I set my lap alone today, a tenth slower than yesterday, but with no tow.”

Sixth fastest Dani said, “We’ve improved a little bit compared to yesterday but it’s still not enough and in the end I wasn’t able to set a fast lap.
There was a bit of traffic on the last two laps and also one of the tyres we put in wasn’t quite right so we weren’t able to make the most of the final few minutes. We also have to take into account that the pace is very fast. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start and improve a little bit through the first section of the circuit, which is where I’m losing a little time.”

Dovi in seventh said, “We have worked well, improving the general setup of my Honda. Now the bike is better than yesterday but it’s not enough to keep pace with the firsts in the grid. I expect a hard race.”

Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) qualified eighth and said, “The main problem we had today is that I don’t feel I have much grip in the slow corners and I can’t get in as hot as I would like or get on the gas on the exit. Apart from that the bike is good and if we can improve this one area in the warm-up then we should take a big step forward.”

Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) was just outside the top ten in 11th. He said, “I used the first part of the practice to learn the best lines behind the fastest riders. In the second part I was able to do a sequence of good laps and I could probably have got a better result if I calculated the time remaining properly.”

Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) secured his fourth pole of the season at a critical time in terms of his World Championship aspirations.
The young Swiss made his best lap of 1m 37.543 seconds in the final five minutes after lying second to Marco Simoncelli (Aprilia) for much of the half-hour.

The front row comprises Luthi, Mattia Pasini (Aprilia), Gabor Talmacsi (KTM) and Simoncelli. Series points leader Mika Kallio (KTM) qualified fifth and starts from row two. Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) qualified sixth, Mike Di Meglio (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125R) seventh and Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW) edged into the top ten in ninth.

Luthi said, “Things have been good for us the whole weekend, the team have done a great job for me. We have worked hard on the suspension settings and the results are obvious. The engine is very good but I set my fastest time slipstreaming Simoncelli. You could say I have the best possible set-up for this race, I feel very comfortable out there.”

”Not so bad today,” said Koyama. “I really like this circuit especially the fast corners, the last corner is great. My set-up is perfect for his track and I have a lot of power at the top-end of the rev-range. I even know what tyres I will race with tomorrow.”

Di Meglio said, “After the last changes we made my bike is perfect. Today I made a mistake on the last part of the track on my good lap. Unfortunately I haven’t learnt the last corners very well and sometimes I almost go the wrong way. In the evening I’ll go and get some private tuition. I think I’ll have a good race tomorrow.”

MotoGP:
Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1st: “Pole’s pretty cool. The Michelin qualifiers today were really good. I used three sets and they seemed to get better and better. There are times round here when you really shouldn’t be opening the gas but the tyres just gripped – amazing. On that last lap I just hung in there. Me and Rolfo almost came together! I was pretty committed so I just had to stick the bike up the inside and hope. I thought it wasn’t going to be pretty but it worked out OK. We’re struggling a little on race pace to be honest so we’re definitely going to have to dig in tomorrow but I’ll enjoy the pole now. The guys have done a great job all weekend and we’ve kinda’ snuck up to the front little by little.”

Sete Gibernau, MoviStar Honda: 3rd: "My fastest lap doesn't reflect the true situation we are in. We lapped really well at this circuit in preseason and now we were unable to do so. I can't be happy at all because we haven't got a good race pace and the worst thing is that at the moment we don't know how to put things right. The team is analysing the data now to see if they can come up with something for the warm-up that will at least give us the chance to fight for the podium."

Max Baggi, Repsol Honda: 6th: “I can’t say I totally am happy to be on the second row but considering where we have qualified recently this is not so bad. What is encouraging is that the bike seems to be more balanced than we have had it all weekend. We’ve had trouble getting weight on the front and traction at the back but it definitely seems that things are coming better. We seem to be able to make some regular fast laps on race tyres which is good for the race. Tomorrow we still have a lot for work to do before we are ready for the race.”

Marco Melandri, MoviStar Honda: 8th: "We made a few modifications this afternoon to try and improve the performance of the bike but we haven't had the results that we had hoped for. We'll work hard with the team to try and find a solution before the race."

Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 9th: “Today we have tried many setting solutions and things have sensibly improved. During the afternoon session I found my self just behind Colin Edwards for a few laps and I could maintain his rhythm. This has given me much more confidence to continue the qualifying session and made me understand that if I will start well tomorrow remaining near the leading group I can battle with everybody. In the afternoon I tried three soft rear tyres, with the first I didn’t feel good, while with the last set I committed a small mistake which didn’t allow me to improve my best performance. I hope to start well tomorrow and I mostly hope that my physical conditions will get better because this influenza has surely not helped me during these first two days of work.”

Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 12th: “I’m abjectly disappointed with today’s practices because it’s not easy to overtake here and to start this far back is a handicap. We calculated the time wrong today and I couldn’t use the last qualifying tyre to take a few more tenths off. My pace in race configuration is okay, in the low 1’31s, but 1’30s are what’s needed really. In any case, I’m not beaten yet and tomorrow I will do everything I can to get a good result.”

Chris Vermeulen, replacement rider for Troy Bayliss at Camel Honda: 14th: “It’s fantastic to ride with this team and this bike. We made improvements in every session starting out at 1’34 and ending up at 1’31. I think that is a good margin in four hours and I’m delighted with it. We’re working together well and I am also getting on with the Michelin engineers. The qualifying tyres offer incredible grip and even though I didn’t make the most of them I still enjoyed myself using them. So tomorrow I hope to be able to improve my times even further and lap at a constant rhythm. My aim is to finish in the points and as close to another Honda rider as possible.”

250cc:
Jorge Lorenzo, Fortuna Honda: 2nd: “It was a hefty crash, but I was lucky, thank God. I was just short of pole, but what matters is the race.
Yesterday I was talking about a margin of a second or a second and a half, and I’ve taken a second out of that. There’s still a bit to do, I want to use the warm up to fine-tune my set-up and be as prepared as possible for the race.”

Hector Barbera, Fortuna Honda: 5th: “I’m happy, although I couldn’t improve yesterday’s time. We have worked towards the race though, trying to avoid any unforeseeable problems. I was focused on tomorrow’s race today, which should see some progress for me. I’ve got a good set-up, maybe with a few problems in the rear-end. It’s the closest I’ve been all year. I set my lap alone today, a tenth slower than yesterday, but with no tow.”

Dani Pedrosa, MoviStar Honda: 6th: “We have improved a little bit compared to yesterday but it is still not enough and in the end I wasn’t able to set a fast lap. There was a bit of traffic on the last two laps and also one of the tyres we put in wasn’t quite right so we weren’t able to make the most of the final few minutes. We also have to take into account that the pace set by the other riders is very fast. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start and improve a little bit through the first section of the circuit, which is where I am losing a little time. It will be a difficult race, especially over the opening few laps, because I know Stoner will want to push from the start when the tyres are still cold. We will have to be alert, warm up well and hope that everything goes ok.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda: 7th: “We have worked well, improving the general setup of my Honda. Now the bike is better than yesterday but it’s not enough to keep pace with the firsts in the grid: I expect a hard race for me”.

Hiroshi Aoyama, MoviStar Honda: 8th: “The main problem we have had today is that I don’t feel to have much grip in the slow corners and I can’t get in as hot as I would like or get on the gas on the exit. Apart from that the bike is good and if we can improve this one area in the warm-up then we should take a big step forward. Here it is important to qualify on the front two rows of the grid and at least I was able to do that. I’ll have to make a good start to make sure I don’t miss the train on the opening few laps.”

Yuki Takahashi, Scot Honda: 11th: “I used the first part of the practice to learn the best lines behind the fastest riders. In the second part I was able to do a sequence of good laps and probably I could obtain a better result if I calculated the remaining time in a correct way (I thought to have the time for another fast lap). However I’m satisfied enough about my bike”.

Alex Debon, Wurth Honda BQR:12th. “I’m very happy with this result. The bike settings are perfect and the engine is much stronger than before and you need that at this track. The tyres have been great and I think I can take a top ten place in the race. I have to beat Guintoli tomorrow and the final two races if I am to be best private rider in the championship. I have to get a good start tomorrow if I am to stand a chance of getting the result I need.”

Jakub Smrz, Molenaar Honda: 19th. “Not good, I’m not satisfied. The bike is really fast but I’m very unhappy with the suspension, particularly the front. I am finding it difficult to get the bike into the corners and hold the racing line. We have a lot of work to do on the suspension before the warm up, I just hope we get it right.”

Dirk Heidolf, Kiefer Castrol Honda: 21st. “I’m very unhappy today because yesterday everything was much better. Basically it’s a front-end problem, something with the front forks, in the left hand corners it was a real problem I just have no feeling. I hope we find a solution. I tried changing the tyre and it worked for a couple of laps but then the problem started again. The one good thing is that the engine is very good, if we fix the problem with the forks I will have a good ace.”

Arturo Tizon, replacement rider for Radomil Rous at Wurth Honda BQR: 24th. ”This is my first time at a GP and first race on a 2-stroke. Yesterday I found it very difficult, particularly the front end. Today the mechanics changed many things on the set up and I felt a lot better. In the qualifying session I could follow some riders and learned a lot. I tried to follow Alex (Debon) but he was too fast.”

125cc:
Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda: 1st. “Things have been good for us the whole weekend, the team have done a great job for me. We have worked hard on the suspension settings and the results are obvious. The engine is very good but I set my fastest time slipstreaming Simoncelli. You could say I have the best possible set up for this race, I feel very comfortable out there.”

Tomoyoshi Koyama, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 6th.”Not so bad today. I really like this circuit especially the fast corners, the last corner is great. My set up is perfect for his track and I have a lot of power at the top of the range. I even know what tyres I will race with tomorrow,. ”

Mike Di Meglio, Kopron Racing World Honda: 7th. Mike di Meglio: “After the last changes my bike is perfect. Today I made a mistake on the last part of the track on my good lap. Unfortunately I haven’t learnt the last corners very well and sometimes I take the wrong way. I the evening I ‘ll go there to take private lessons. I think I will have a good race tomorrow.”

Fabrizio Lai, Kopron Racing World Honda: 9th. Fabrizio Lai, “I’m satisfied because my Honda is OK. Today I suffered with the wind against me. In these conditions it’s very important to advantage of the other riders slipstream. I wasn’t able to catch onto the right train of riders and I didn’t improve my lap time. But the bike is good and tomorrow I will be with the leaders.”

Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 19th. “At the end of qualifying somebody hit me and knocked me down, I think it was Da Rosa. No problem I have only bruised my leg. The engine is really good and the chassis but I’m not sure about the tyre. I used the 120 but it was moving about badly after 12 laps and I was losing two seconds. I put in a new tyre and got back the two- seconds but I need to run more with the used tyre to know which one will e best to race with. One thing for sure is that I will need a good start tomorrow.”

Sandro Cortese, Kiefer-Bos-Castrol Honda: 16th. “At the dip before the last long left on the first lap of qualifying a wild card rider hit me and knocked me down. I had to go back to the pit and repair my front brake. I lost 20 minutes because of that. The bike is running really good I’m happy with the engine and the chassis settings so when I went back out I was able to get in some fast laps. My best time was set while I was with Poggiali. The only thing I have to do is make a decision on which tyres to run. Loosing the 20 minutes cost me the chance to try another set.”

Alexis Masbou, Ajo Motorsport Honda: 17th. “My qualifying session was just so – so. My engine was not so good this morning and but chassis set up was good. The team worked rely hard between practice an the qualifying session and now my engine is normal. The chassis is even better than this morning. I just hope I get a good start and get into the leading group.”

Alvaro Bautista, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 18th. “Today everything was better than yesterday. I had a lot of front-end chattering the corners. We changed the suspension for morning practice and it was better. The engine was good, very strong. For the qualifyer we changed the suspension again but it was worse than before so we have to fix that for the warm up. We also need to look at the engine because it didn’t feel as good as this morning.”

Aleix Espargaro, Seedorf RC3 Tiempo Holidays Honda: 19th. “At the end of qualifying somebody hit me and knocked me down, I think it was Da Rosa. No problem I have only bruised my leg. The engine is really good and the chassis but I’m not sure about the tyre. I used the 120 but it was moving about badly after 12 laps and I was losing two seconds. I put in a new tyre and got back the two- seconds but I need to run more with the used tyre to know which one will e best to race with. One thing for sure is that I will need a good start tomorrow.”

Sascha Hommel, Molenaar Honda: 37th. “Not really OK at all. I was faster this morning than in the qualifying session the problem is I don’t know where I lost the time. I felt I was faster and the bike is OK, just a little problem with the front end. The data doesn’t show anything wrong so I guess I will have to try again in the warm up.”