MOTOGP - STONER ON POLE IN QATAR
- 27 May 2013
Aussie Ducati rider, Casey Stoner will start the delayed Moto Grand Prix of Qatar from pole position after posting a time almost half a second faster than reigning champ Valentino Rossi. After the session was completed it looked like either Stoner was sandbagging earlier or the Ducati rider found a way to hook up on the slippery surface while the rest of the field struggled.
The race however, has been delayed until tomorrow night due to a heavy thunderstorm which lashed the circuit just as the race was due to begin. If Stoner has the same advantage tomorrow, then round one of the heavy weight fight will belong to him, lucky for Rossi the track is ever changing so the setup tomorrow might favour the Italian.
"It rained a little bit at 'lunchtime' between the two practice sessions today but it was gone as quickly as it arrived and we were relieved that we were able to ride at all," explained Stoner. "There is a little bit of dust and dirt that seems to come down with the rain here so we knew the track conditions would be slick and the lap times wouldn't come down much.
"It's impossible to guess what could happen in the race but generally I'm happy with our set-up and the main thing for us at this early stage is to pick up points, keep working on our weaknesses and make sure we don't make the same mistakes as last year by getting to the middle of the season with problems to fix," added the Aussie.
Mixed with the good news of Stoner's pole there is some concern over his teammate Nicky Hayden after the American took a nasty spill during the session. It's not clear if Hayden will be fit to ride tomorrow, he is being taken to hospital for observation. On the surface Hayden was bruised badly and needed stitches for a cut on his chest.
The other Aussie on the grid is Chris Vermeulen on the Rizla Suzuki who will start from eighth on the grid after a couple of tiny mistakes on his final lap of the session cost valuable hundredths-of-a-second leaving Vermeulen directly behind Capirossi in the middle of the third row. Vermeulen found the harder option compound of the Bridgestone control tyre to his liking this evening and is confident of a strong race tomorrow.