News

hayden runs stoner close in qualifying

18/08/07

By David Miller

Yesterday, reigning world champion Nicky Hayden said the new engine parts HRC had wheeled in for him really hadn't made any difference. Today, however, he managed to close down Casey Stoner and finish second to the Aussie by just under three-tenths of a second in qualifying.

Stoner circulated just once early in the session, pitted and had the whole rear brake assembly changed. He went out, circulated once more and came in with a rear tyre and boot covered in oil.

But in what his becoming his stoical style, 21-year-old Stoner then went out on his first lap with a qualifier in, and parked his GP7 second. Another qualifying lap and tyre later, he smashed his way to pole with an awesome 1'56.884.

Only Honda's Hayden and Pedrosa could get anywhere close in the session's dying seconds and the former put in a 1'57.184 lap. Pedrosa, who has also had new parts this weekend, was only a gnat's further away.

Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi rescued a dismal weekend by pulling himself up to sixth but is still three-quarters of a second behind the Ducati man. John Hopkins ended the session on the floor but is sitting on the second row with Kawasaki's Randy DePuniet next to him.

Yesterday's hero Sylvain Guintoli looked like he could embarrass his factory contemporaries when he shot to second with a 1'58.3s lap but Rossi edged past and then Colin Edwards, who had made some improvements this morning, leapfrogged him for ninth.

Qualifying - conditions dry

1 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'56.884
2 1 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'57.164
3 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'57.179
4 21 John HOPKINS USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'57.567
5 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 1'57.599
6 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team YAMAHA 1'57.640
7 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'57.665
8 71 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'57.699
9 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Fiat Yamaha Team YAMAHA 1'57.702
10 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'57.732
11 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN Konica Minolta Honda HONDA 1'57.969
12 7 Carlos CHECA SPA Honda LCR HONDA 1'58.143
13 4 Alex BARROS BRA Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 1'58.204
14 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Honda Gresini HONDA 1'58.264
15 6 Makoto TAMADA JPN Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'58.399
16 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 1'59.386
17 80 Kurtis ROBERTS USA Team Roberts KR212V 1'59.446
18 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 1'59.721

Ducati wunderkind Casey Stoner roundly trounced his MotoGP rivals in the final free practice session at Brno this morning, finishing more than half a second in front of Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins and a full 1.8s ahead of championship rival Valentino Rossi.

It's debatable whether Stoner put in a qualifying tyre in the dying seconds of the session, but as he managed to lap at 1'58.002s (more than half a second faster than yesterday), it is a decent bet.

Fiat Yamaha's Colin Edwards made the early running and has obviously sorted some of the gremlins that were toroubling him yesterday wiith Kawasaki's Randy DePuniet matching the Texan's times.

However, after only four laps, Stoner took the lead with a 1'58.690 which only Hopper could get anywhere near. The Suzuki man then put in a 1'58.653 in response but at the last opportunity, Stoner went fastest and, with some full-on qualifiers ready for this afternoon, he must go into the 57s lap times.

Yesterday's hero Sylvain Guintoli continued his decent form, ending the session seventh behind a slowly-improving Chris Vermeulen while the Repsol Hondas of Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa continue to struggle, finishing in eighth and ninth.

Rossi, who has many other pressures on his shoulders this weekend, could only muster a 12th place. Gresini Honda's Marco Melandri sat out the session as he is still suffering from problems with his neck and shoulder.

Free practice three - conditions dry 

1 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'58.002
2 21 John HOPKINS USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'58.653
3 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 1'58.939
4 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Fiat Yamaha Team YAMAHA 1'59.231
5 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'59.347
6 71 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'59.359
7 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'59.460
8 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'59.465
9 1 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'59.516
10 6 Makoto TAMADA JPN Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'59.590
11 4 Alex BARROS BRA Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 1'59.712
12 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team YAMAHA 1'59.849
13 7 Carlos CHECA SPA Honda LCR HONDA 1'59.892
14 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Honda Gresini HONDA 2'00.089
15 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN Konica Minolta Honda HONDA 2'00.353
16 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 2'00.472
17 80 Kurtis ROBERTS USA Team Roberts KR212V 2'00.595
18 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 2'01.362