Lorenzo hails 'unbelievable' pace after challenging Stoner for pole
Jorge Lorenzo hailed his 'unbelievable' pace in qualifying at Motegi, after almost springing a major upset and claiming pole position at the Japanese circuit
Honda, and championship leader Casey Stoner in particular, had dominated practice. Stoner topped the first and third sessions, while Honda only once found one of its works riders outside the top three.
In qualifying however Lorenzo proved to be Stoner's main threat, the Spaniard producing an outstanding lap to beat his own lap record and go fastest at the time. Though Stoner was able to respond, Lorenzo said sealing a front-row berth was hugely important for his race prospects.
"We tried something different this afternoon and our lap times were unbelievable," Lorenzo said. "We almost got pole.
"The most important thing is the first row because there are riders like Casey who find it easy to escape so I want to be right there.
"We have improved today but Motegi is still a tough track for Yamaha riders. If the other riders do a perfect race it is almost impossible to win, but anything can happen. Now I can say I am ready for the battle."
On the second works YZR-M1 Ben Spies also impressed, overcoming a severe illness which had caused him to miss swathes of practice to seal fifth on the grid. Spies said he was simply happy to have been able to ride.
"I've had a lot of support from the guys at Clinica to get me back towards 100% fitness," he explained. "I'm just glad now to be on the bike, a couple of days ago I didn't think I was going to be able to ride.
"I'm really happy to have got into the middle of the second row today and I hope things get even better for tomorrow. Yesterday I was pretty weak on the bike, this morning I felt a bit stronger. I'm doing the best I can for my crew and the paddock and all the fans who are here to watch us."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Silverstone: Circuit of Wales is not viable
Qatar MotoGP: Marquez beats Rossi in action-packed race
Redding: I've got to 'do a Marquez'
Racing through injury: What Stroll can learn from past cases
Jorge Lorenzo joins Porsche Supercup grid for 2023
Why a MotoGP legend needs to ditch social media and enjoy retirement
How rain and strategy spelled disaster for Ferrari in WEC Imola 6 Hours
Wolff: Mercedes can't just keep living off F1 ‘bright spots’
From tweaked headrests to new floors: China’s F1 updates in full
Pourchaire eager for more IndyCar after “amazing” debut in Long Beach
Can anyone stop "changed" Bagnaia as Ducati tightens its grip on MotoGP?
The signs that MotoGP's Japanese powerhouses are changing for the better
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments