Share

Rossi takes French GP pole

Le Mans - Italy's Valentino Rossi took pole position ahead of Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Spain's Dani Pedrosa (Honda) in qualifying for the MotoGP French Grand Prix here on Saturday.

Rossi set the session's fastest time on the 28th of his 30 laps and took pole by 0.054sec from championship leader Lorenzo.

Pedrosa, who will be competing in his 150th grand prix on Sunday, completed the front row.

Australian Casey Stoner had been competing for pole throughout the session on a Ducati but the former world champion had to settle for the first slot on the second row after finishing 0.416sec off Rossi's mark.

Stoner's team-mate Nicky Hayden took fifth place on the grid, ahead of Frenchman Randy De Puniet and Italian Andrea Dovizioso of Honda.

Defending MotoGP champion Rossi will be starting on pole for the 59th time in his career.

He had a race to forget in Le Mans last season, trailing in 16th, but his overall form at the historic French venue is excellent, with three MotoGP victories to his name.

The 31-year-old currently trails Lorenzo by four points in the riders' standings after the first two races of the 2010 season.

Qualification:

MotoGP

1. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 1min 33.408sec

2. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) at 0.054

3. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 0.165

4. Casey Stoner (AUS/Ducati) 0.416

5. Nicky Hayden (USA/Ducati) 0.437

6. Randy de Puniet (FRA/Honda) 0.666

7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 0.796

8. Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha) 0.896

9. Loris Capirossi (ITA/Suzuki) 0.898

10. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Ducati) 1.106

Moto2

1. Kenny Noyes (USA/Promoharris) 1:39.234

2. Yuki Takahashi (JPN/Tech3) at 0.031

3. Alex Debon (ESP/FTR) 0.086

4. Jules Cluzel (FRA/Suter) 0.100

5. Fonsi Nieto (ESP/Moriwaki) 0.168

Selected

15. Shoya Tomizawa (JPN/Suter) 0.561

125 cc

1. Nicolas Terol (ESP/Aprilia) 1:43.719

2. Pol Espargaro (ESP/Derbi) at 0.145

3. Sandros Cortese (GER/Derbi) 0.399

4. Marc Marquez (ESP/Derbi) 0.422

5. Bradley Smith (GBR/Aprilia) 0.453

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1272 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE