Combined Free Practice Times

1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team (M) 1min 40.321 secs
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team (B) 1min 40.364 secs
3. Colin Edwards USA Yamaha Tech 3 (M) 1min 40.584 secs
4. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 40.673 secs
5. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 40.815 secs
6. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 40.828 secs *
7. Andrea Dovizioso ITA JiR Scot Team (M) 1min 40.909 secs
8. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (M) 1min 41.028 secs
9. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 41.157 secs
10. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini (B) 1min 41.189 secs
11. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP (M) 1min 41.268 secs
12. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 41.303 secs
13. Shinya Nakano JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini (B) 1min 41.393 secs
14. John Hopkins USA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 41.519 secs
15. Marco Melandri ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 41.825 secs
16. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alice Team (B) 1min 42.115 secs
17. Anthony West AUS Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 42.181 secs
18. Toni Elias SPA Alice Team (B) 1min 42.183 secs

* time set in FP1

Casey Stoner went down in FP2 so was unable to improve, and James Toseland is sticken with flu. Other than that the Yamaha's continue their impressive practice form from Qatar.

Lorenzo thinks he can win this. Whether he can is another question.

Yamaha looking good. Maybe Rossi's threats to improve the bike or he was off hav taken effect...

The Grid:

1. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team (M) 1min 38.189 secs
2. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 38.789 secs
3. Colin Edwards USA Yamaha Tech 3 (M) 1min 38.954 secs
4. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 39.061 secs
5. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team (B) 1min 39.064 secs
6. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP (M) 1min 39.122 secs
7. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 39.286 secs
8. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (M) 1min 39.334 secs
9. John Hopkins USA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 39.439 secs
10. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 39.484 secs
11. Shinya Nakano JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini (B) 1min 39.559 secs
12. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 39.704 secs
13. Andrea Dovizioso ITA JiR Scot Team (M) 1min 39.767 secs
14. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini (B) 1min 40.037 secs
15. Anthony West AUS Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 40.088 secs
16. Toni Elias SPA Alice Team (B) 1min 40.286 secs
17. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alice Team (B) 1min 40.939 secs
18. Marco Melandri ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 41.027 secs


"Gorgeous" George Lawrence takes his second pole in role. It is the fastest ever lap of Jerez on two wheels beating Loris Capirossi's 990cc record of two years ago.
Lorenzo never looked like being beaten lowering the record on three occasions.

Of course with his biggest rival on pole Dani Pedrosa tried everything to snatch pole but had to settle for second.

As for Colin Edwards, anyone who missed the session on TV should seek out highlights or YouTube in the next week because he pulled the greatest save ever, he actually crashed but managed to stay mounted and regain the bike. There was even a wave to the crowd after.

Nicky Hayden produced his usual qualifying special. Rossi was convinced he could have got second if he had not developed engine problems on the last lap. With all the Bridgestone riders struggling Stoner managed to force the awkward looking Ducati onto seventh. The other Ducatis as you can see were nowhere.

A quick nationalistic shout out for James Toseland who managed 8th despite being stricken with flu. Slowest Yamaha yes, but acceptable in those circumstance.

So with the two arch Spanish rivals on the front of the grid, in front of a highly charged home crowd, tomorrow could well go nuclear.

Results Round Up

MotoGP

1. Daniel Pedrosa Honda (M) 45:35.121
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha (B) + 2.883
3. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha (M) + 4.339
4. Nicky Hayden Honda (M) + 10.142
5. Loris Capirossi Suzuki (B) + 27.524
6. James Toseland Yamaha (M) + 27.808
7. John Hopkins Kawasaki (B) + 28.296
8. Andrea Dovizioso Honda (M) + 28.449
9. Shinya Nakano Honda (B) + 32.569
10. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki (B) + 35.091
11. Casey Stoner Ducati (B) + 42.223
12. Marco Melandri Ducati (B) + 44.498
13. Anthony West Kawasaki (B) + 45.807
14. Alex de Angelis Honda (B) + 45.871
15. Toni Elias Ducati (B) +1:09.558
16. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati (B) +1:14.442

A classic Pedrosa victory in that he got in front built up a lead and kept it until the end. Rossi couldn't make any impression on his lead, but almost blew second when he though the race had finished and celebrated prematurely.

Lorenzo never had the speed he threatned and had to settle for third. Hayden was fourth for all of the race and Capirossi won a frantic 4 way battle for 5th which involved a lot of fairing banging between Dovizioso and Toseland.

Casey Stoner had a tough time, the bike running off into the gravel twice.

I found the 2 support races more interesting than the whole motogp race today. The Smith/Bradl battle for 3rd in the 125s for the last few laps and that broken engine of Bautista which caused the crash with Simoncelli in last lap in the 250s have been more than just interesting races

Yeah, that's true I really enjoyed the Smith/Bradl battle.