Stoner takes pole in Assen
Added on Friday, June 27th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Stoner secured pole with final lap of the session.
Casey Stoner will start on pole position in Assen after a thrilling battle with championship rivals Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner during Friday’s qualifying.
The defending world champion posted a time of 1:35.520 in the final minute of the hour-long session to continue his blistering recent form and secure his third successive pole position.
The Australian had led the standings for the majority of the session, setting an early 1:36.623 lap that at the time was a full second clear of the rest of the field.
But the challenge soon intensified, with Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards taking provisional pole but Stoner smashed that time with a qualifying record time of 1:35.995 on his first qualifying tyre.
Rossi then took the lead going into the closing minutes with a 1:35.659 but that was not enough to keep him on pole, with Stoner posting the day’s fastest time and Honda rider Dani Pedrosa sneaking into second with a time of 1:35.552.
Nicky Hayden will head the second row on Honda’s pneumatic valve engine and he’ll be joined by Randy de Puniet and Colin Edwards. Jorge Lorenzo will start in seventh after lapping more than a second slower than Stoner.
British rider James Toseland’s struggled continued in Holland as he was only 13th quickest.
Classified times: Qualifying
1. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro; 1:35.520
2. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda; + 0.032
3. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha; + 0.139
4. Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda; + 0.455
5. Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda; + 0.465
6. Colin Edwards, Tech 3 Yamaha; + 0.758
7. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team; + 1.012
8. Chris Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki; + 1.248
9. Shinya Nakano, Honda Gresini; + 1.284
10. Sylvain Guintoli, Alice Team; + 1.303
11. Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Team Scot; + 1.379
12. Alex de Angelis, Honda Gresini; + 1.428
13. James Toseland, Tech 3 Yamaha; + 1.458
14. Toni Elias, Alice Team; + 1.767
15. John Hopkins, Kawasaki Racing; + 2.123
16. Anthony West, Kawasaki Racing; + 2.273
17. Marco Melandri, Ducati Marlboro + 3.206
