Rossi Blasts Valencia Stitch-Up

Valentino Rossi blasted a Spanish ‘stitch-up’ on Sunday after his Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo won the final round of the season in Valencia to take his third MotoGP world championship.

Rossi had started in last place, after being sent to the back of the grid for a penalty imposed at the previous race in Malaysia, and with his sole title rival Lorenzo on pole position. The championship leader had fought back to fourth by half distance but his hopes of taking a 10th career title, and eighth in the top category, rested on Honda’s two Spaniards getting past Lorenzo. In the end the outgoing champion Marc Márquez and Dani Pedrosa finished second and third and Rossi angrily accused them of helping their compatriot by not trying to win.

“I did what I could but it was a strange situation having Márquez as the bodyguard of Lorenzo. It is embarrassing for the sport,” Rossi told reporters after the former King Juan Carlos handed out the winner’s trophy on an all-Spanish podium. “Hopefully the sport’s authorities will be able to sort it out. It is an ugly end to what has been an attractive championship. It has not been a true championship and this should not happen in sport.”

Rossi said Lorenzo was a deserving champion but he could not understand why Honda, his former team, should want to see a Yamaha rider win. He accused Márquez of being a ‘biscottone’ – an expression used in football when two teams play out a mutually beneficial draw to the detriment of another – but said he expected no less.

Márquez said it was ‘a lack of respect’ to suggest he had not tried to win even if he recognised there would always be doubters. “I always give everything and I know there will be people that will say that I have been second because I wanted Lorenzo to win,” he said.

Lorenzo, who ended the season with seven wins to Rossi’s four and five points clear, suggested it was to be expected that his compatriots would rather see him win. “The fact that they knew what I was going for and that they are Spanish has helped me and in another race they may have tried everything to overtake,” said the new champion. “Dani did well because he could have tried a crazy overtake. We are Spanish and the title remains in Spain. If it had been in Italy and with two Italians behind Rossi then it would have been the same.”

The race had been overshadowed by controversy and bad blood since Malaysia, where Rossi allegedly kicked Márquez off his bike. Rossi denied that, accusing the Spaniard of trying to sabotage his title hopes. A bid to persuade the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn the back-of-grid penalty failed, although the appeal against the sanction remains in process. The prime ministers and media of both countries got involved in the row, while Márquez and his family filed a legal complaint after allegedly being assaulted by Italian journalists.

The race itself was far more tame, with Lorenzo leading from start to finish while Rossi climbed as far as he could and then waited to see what happened with the top three too far ahead to catch. The Italian finished 19.7 seconds behind the winner, who beat Márquez by a mere 0.2sec.

Among the cheers, whistles and boos could also be heard clearly as the top three made their way to the podium.

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Marquez Winner in Australia

Marc Márquez snatched the lead from Jorge Lorenzo on a thrilling last lap to win a classic Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

After a thrilling scrap, the Spanish Honda rider roared home to pull clear of Lorenzo before the final turn and win his first race at Phillip Island and fifth for the season.

The appeal of this Brad Pitt-produced documentary will depend entirely on your interest in watching men leaning over at high speed

Lorenzo’s runner-up finish, 0.249 seconds behind Márquez, closed the gap from championship leader Valentino Rossi to 11 points ahead of the penultimate race in Malaysia next week.

Ducati’s Andrea Iannone completed the podium, holding Rossi out on a glorious day at the seaside circuit.

In the Moto2 category, rookie Alex Rins won his second race of the season for Paginas Amarillas HP40 ahead of Speed Up Racing’s Sam Lowes and Forward Racing’s Lorenzo Baldassarri.

Miguel Oliveira sealed his fourth win of the season in Moto3 after Leopard Racing’s championship leader Danny Kent was taken out of the race in a crash during lap 14. Efren Vazquez and Brad Binder completed the podium.

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Marquez in Practice Crash

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Championship leader Marc Marquez crashed in practice for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix as title rival Jorge Lorenzo finished fastest.

The 20-year-old Spaniard, who is closing in on the world title in his rookie season, came off his bike early in the afternoon session.

He was uninjured and was able to return to the circuit 20 minutes later.

Marquez finished the day second fastest, 0.294 seconds behind Lorenzo, who clocked one minute 28.961secs.

British rider Cal Crutchlow was sixth fastest, while his Tech 3 Yamaha team-mate Bradley Smith recorded the seventh quickest time.

Marquez is bidding to become the first rookie in 35 years to win the premier class title.

He leads the standings by 43 points and can win the championship on Sunday if he wins the race and closest challenger Lorenzo finishes third or lower.

"The day went well, especially in the morning," said Repsol Honda rider Marquez.

"It's a pity about the crash right at the start of the afternoon run but we went back out with the second bike, which had a totally different geometry, and we had no time in which to change things. Thus, we used the initial set-up for the entire session."

Spain's Alvaro Bautista had the third-fastest lap, 0.477secs down on Lorenzo, with Marquez's Spanish team-mate Dani Pedrosa fourth at 0.517secs.

Seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi was fifth quickest.

Pedrosa's afternoon practice session was disrupted when an engine mounting bolt, which was not properly locked, came loose, forcing him to stop on the track.

"Today was very positive, the new asphalt felt good and the tyres worked well for us," said Pedrosa. "The only setback was that we were unable to make the most of all the time available, due to a problem with the bike at the end of the afternoon session."

LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl, who fractured an ankle at Sepang last Saturday, was able to take part in opening practice but finished almost four seconds off the pace and was later declared unfit.

Results

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 1:28.961

2. Marc Marquez (Spa) Repsol Honda 0.088

3. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Honda Gresini 0.664

4. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda 0.841

5. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 0.886

6. Cal Crutchlow (Gbr) Tech 3 Yamaha 0.963

7. Bradley Smith (Gbr) Tech 3 Yamaha 1.194,

8. Nicky Hayden (Usa) Ducati 1.499

9. Randy De Puniet (Fra) ART 2.113

10. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati 2.128

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Lorenzo Leads Silverstone Practice

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World champion Jorge Lorenzo was fastest as he edged out title rivals Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in practice for Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Lorenzo, 26, has not won any of the last five races to fall 44 points behind championship leader Marquez.

But he was back to his best on Friday, putting his Yamaha top of the timesheets with a commanding lap.

Alvaro Bautista was fourth, with Briton Cal Crutchlow in sixth place.

Repsol Honda rider Marquez, 20, set the best time of a cold morning session with a lap of two minutes 3.816 seconds, but Lorenzo was the man to beat as the track warmed up in the afternoon.

His lap of 2:02.734 was two tenths of a second quicker than Spaniard Marquez's best effort, with 27-year-old Pedrosa nearly half a second behind his team-mate in third and Gresini Honda's Bautista, 28, next.

Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, 34, was fifth on his Yamaha, while Crutchlow, 27, will be hoping to improve in qualifying on Saturday after taking pole position on his Yamaha Tech 3 at Brno last weekend.

His fellow British riders Bradley Smith, also of Yamaha Tech 3, and Michael Laverty, of Paul Bird Motorsport, ended the day in eighth and 20th respectively.

In the Moto2 class, championship leader Scott Redding - who signed a deal to race in MotoGP from next season on Thursday - was fastest in the morning session but ended the afternoon in fifth.

Silverstone practice times:

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 2:02.734

2. Marc Marquez (Spa) Repsol Honda 2:02.958

3. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda 2:03.192

4. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Gresini Honda 2:03.463

5. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 2:03.480

6. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha 2:03.505

7. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati 2:03.658

8. Bradley Smith (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha 2:03.750

9. Stefan Bradl (Ger) LCR Honda 2:03.784

10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 2:04.089

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Stoner Stuns Lorenzo at Laguna Seca

Defending MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner won the United States round of the series at Laguna Seca after hunting down title rival Jorge Lorenzo.

The Repsol Honda rider stalked former champion Lorenzo for two thirds of the 32-lap race at the Californian circuit before passing the Spaniard over the finish line.

Australian Stoner, who has announced he will retire at the end of the season, put his victory down to his race strategy.

Stoner told the BBC: 'I wanted to get to the front immediately and see if I could pull a gap.

'I didn't want to risk it and pass him somewhere I was not comfortable.'

Lorenzo admitted he had been second best to his rival.

'I made a mistake and I almost crashed,' Lorenzo said. 'I could not keep the pace that I did in the beginning.'

With Stoner taking the win, he closed the gap in the points standings to 32 between himself in third and Lorenzo.

Third in the race was Stoner's team-mate Dani Pedrosa, which left him second in the standings - 23 points behind his countryman.

Lorenzo's team-mate Ben Spies had looked set for fourth place on a weekend he announced he would be leaving Yamaha next term.

But Spies was thrown from his Yamaha in the downhill Corkscrew corner and was lucky to escape serious injury in his home race.

That left Italian Andrea Dovizioso to claim fourth ahead of his British team-mate Cal Crutchlow as the Monster Tech 3 Yamahas battled all race long.

American Nicky Hayden celebrated signing a new contract with Ducati by taking sixth place ahead of Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda), Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda), Aleix Espargaro (Aspar) and Karel Abraham (Cardion Ducati).

Multiple world champion Valentino Rossi had a high-speed crash at the entry to the Corkscrew but walked away without serious injury.

Lorenzo Wins Hertz British GP

At the Hertz British Grand Prix at Silverstone it was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo who recorded a hard fought victory in an exciting MotoGP™ race ahead of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

The predicted rain stayed away for the MotoGP grid as Yamaha’s Ben Spies took the holeshot ahead of Repsol Honda Team’s Stoner and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s pole-sitter Álvaro Bautista. Spies made a tremendous start leading the early stages from Stoner, Bautista and Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden. Lorenzo lost a place in the first bends, and was soon leading a separated group for fifth place.

With 17 laps remaining Lorenzo started to find his rhythm as he looked to close the gap to the front four, followed by Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. A lap later Hayden tried to dart past Bautista into third, but ran too wide, allowing the Spaniard back in. Soon after Stoner made his move past Spies, as the Texan made a mistake, also going too hot into a turn.

More overtaking was to follow, as Lorenzo took advantage of a gap left by Hayden to hunt down Bautista. Just seconds after, Hayden left yet another gap for Dovizioso to push the American even further back. With Stoner having pulled out a small gap at the front, Lorenzo did not want his rival to get way and forced his way past Bautista, relegating the San Carlo rider into fourth.

The tussle was not to stop, as Lorenzo stormed past his teammate into second, with Spies being overtaken by Bautista as well a corner later. In the same bend Pedrosa snuck past Dovizioso, who kept on the Spaniard’s rear wheel to retake him just a few corners later. The Italian continued his charge as he fought past early leader Spies, with Pedrosa following suit, relegating the Texan into sixth.

With 11 laps left Lorenzo was closing in on the rear wheel of Stoner, starting a thrilling battle for top spot. On the same lap Dovizioso crashed out of his positions, while his teammate Cal Crutchlow fought past LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl into seventh.

Heading into lap nine, Lorenzo took Stoner on the final turn, yet the Australian fought straight back in the next turn, as the pair kept the crowd on their toes with some thrilling moves. As one Repsol Honda was overtaken, the other in the form of Pedrosa went up into third.

A lap further on, the duo of Pedrosa and Bautista started to slowly close the gap on Stoner, who looked to be slowing. With six laps left it turned into a three-way battle for second place, as Lorenzo was opening a gap at the front. On the same lap, Ducati’s Valentino Rossi, who was the only rider to pick the hard rear tyre, took Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá for ninth. Speed Masters Mattia Pasini retired from the race with a mechanical issue.

Lorenzo suffered a slight scare with four laps left as he was almost thrown from his bike, but he managed to save it and retain the lead, albeit with a reduced gap to the pursuing Stoner. In the latter stages there were thrilling battles further back as Crutchlow battled past Hayden into sixth, and Power Electronics Aspar pair Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet were fairing to fairing until the finish line.

In the end it was Lorenzo who held his nerve to cross the finish line first to take the top step of the podium and extend his championship lead, ahead of Stoner and Pedrosa who complete the rostrum. Fourth went to Álvaro Bautista, ahead of Ben Spies, and Cal Crutchlow, who put in a brave ride with his injury. The top ten were completed Hayden, Bradl, Rossi and Barberá. Top CRT spot once again went to Espargaró ahead of his teammate in 11th, while Dovizioso remounted after his crash to finish 19th.

MotoGP Lorenzo Stays with Yamaha

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Lorenzo Wins at Circuit de Catalunya

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo stormed to victory at the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya in front of his home crowd ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso.

After a wet morning warm-up, the field got away in dry conditions this afternoon, and it was Repsol Honda Team’s Pedrosa who got the holeshot from the second row, hotly pursued by Yamaha´s Ben Spies, who also had a tremendous start from fourth. Lorenzo pushed his way past Casey Stoner into third, as the whole grid was tightly bunched in the first lap.

Within a few corners, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso muscled his way past Stoner, who subsequently ran wide a lap later, also letting through Cal Crutchlow. With 23 laps left, Spies, who looked to have the superior pace, made a move on Pedrosa, yet ran wide and dropped his bike in the dirt. This put paid to what had been his most promising start to a race yet.

With 21 laps remaining, the front five of Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Dovizioso, Crutchlow and Stoner started to pull out a gap to the following group, led by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista. On the same lap, Avintia Blusens’ Yonny Hernandez ran off track, yet managed to avoid the gravel trap.

Two laps later Lorenzo went past Pedrosa on the brakes down the home straight, while Stoner took Crutchlow for fourth shortly after. Further down the field, Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi passed LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl for seventh, and started pursuing Bautista. Spies, who did manage to remount after his crash, had made his way back to 12th at this point.

Pedrosa made use of superior drive on the straight with 14 laps left, as he passed Lorenzo in the slipstream, yet could not shake him on the ensuing lap. One lap later, Lorenzo was too late on the brakes into the first turn, letting Dovizioso close the gap once more, and making yet more work for himself to catch his compatriot at the front.

Dovizioso had a moment eleven laps before the end, dropping off the pace just briefly, while Crutchlow ran very deep into the first corner in his battle for fourth. Stoner, Pedrosa and Bradl were the only bikes in the top ten with the hard compound rear tyre, yet at the half way point there was no obvious advantage, as Lorenzo was slowly closing the gap to the Spanish Repsol Honda rider.

With just six laps remaining, Lorenzo was right on the rear wheel of Pedrosa, as the pair were involved in a nail-biting tussle for the lead. It was the Repsol rider who subsequently made a mistake with a big wheelie, which allowed Lorenzo past in the following corner. Behind the pair, Dovizioso, Stoner and Crutchlow where involved in a battle for third, whilst they were followed further down by Bautista and Rossi fighting it out for sixth.

With three laps to go, Lorenzo started to open up a small advantage, while Crutchlow was on the back of Stoner’s rear wheel, though was struggling to find a way past. The final lap however, saw the Australian drop the Brit and hunt down Dovizioso.

Yet in the end it was Lorenzo who took the chequered flag by over five seconds from Pedrosa, with Dovizioso holding off Stoner to take his first podium this year. The reigning world champion finished fourth, which is the first time he hasn’t stood on the podium since Jerez last year. The top ten were completed by Cal Crutchlow, Álvaro Bautista, Valentino Rossi, Stefan Bradl, Ducati’s Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies. Top CRT honour went to local rider Aleix Espargaró on board his Power Electronics Aspar machine.

Lorenzo Wins in Wet LeMans

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo retook the championship lead once again at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France as he dominated in tricky conditions, finishing ahead of Valentino Rossi, who recorded his best Ducati result ever.

In by far the worst conditions seen all season, it was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa who got off to one of his trademark starts followed by teammate Casey Stoner. Their lead was short lived, as Lorenzo charged past the pair and instantly pulled out a lead. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow also made a good start in fourth, followed by the surging Rossi in fifth on-board his Ducati Team machine.

It was heartache for the French fans from the start as Power Electronics Aspar’s local rider Randy de Puniet dropped his bike on the grid, and headed out on his spare one. At the front, Rossi soon moved past Crutchlow to take fourth, with Dovizioso following suit almost instantly. Avintia Blusens’ Iván Silva’s race was ended early as he fell foul of the wet conditions, crashing out of the race in the opening stages.

With Lorenzo building a three second lead, Stoner pushed past Pedrosa to chase down his championship rival. Pedrosa seemed to struggling on the wet surface, with Rossi capitalising on this to take third with 21 laps left. The Tech 3 pair passed Pedrosa even further down the order as they looked to hunt down Rossi.

Near the back, Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies was struggling and had a moment at the end of turn two, shortly after which he briefly entered the pits. Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham retired with 17 laps to go, with NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s replacement rider Chris Vermeulen also having to come in for a helmet change.

As Lorenzo was maintaining his lead around the three second mark ahead of Stoner, it was the ensuing tussle for third between Crutchlow, Dovizioso and Rossi that was providing some breath-taking overtaking in horrific conditions. Ten laps before the end it was misery for Crutchlow as he lost the front in the first chicane, leaving the two Italians to fight it out for the final podium spot, with Rossi taking third just two corners later. The Brit managed to restart his bike and re-join in eighth. Meanwhile, Lorenzo had extended his lead to six seconds at the front with Stoner a further four seconds ahead of Rossi.

With five laps to Stoner was held up slightly by Avintia’s Yonny Hernandez, allowing Rossi to get to within half a second of the Australian world champion. Two laps later Dovizioso crashed out of fourth tying to stick with the pair, while down the field Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci crashed out of 11th.

The last three laps gave MotoGP fans a racing delight, as old adversaries Stoner and Rossi swapped positions throughout. It was however Rossi who looked back to his old self as he passed Stoner in the first chicane on the last lap, after which he pulled out a lead big enough to secure second. This is the highest result both Rossi and the Ducati team have had in the past two season.

It was however Lorenzo who took the chequered flag to take an eight point lead at the top of the championship ahead of Stoner, who came home in third. Pedrosa managed fourth, while LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl recorded his best ever result in fifth, ahead or Rossi’s teammate Nicky Hayden. Dovizioso, who managed to re-join after crashing finished seventh ahead of his teammate Crutchlow, while Pramac Racing’s Héctor Barberá and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista completed the top ten. Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison put in a great performance to finish as top CRT in 11th. De Puniet suffered yet more misery in front of his home crowd as he crashed on his spare bike towards the end.

Stoner Wins Jerez Gran Premio

Reigning World Champion Casey Stoner took his first ever premier-class victory at the Gran Premio bwin de España as he fought an epic battle with championship rival Jorge Lorenzo.

After the preceding Moto2™ race had been red-flagged due to rain, the weather improved just enough for it to be declared dry five minutes before the start.

The race was a thriller from the start as Repsol Honda Team´s Dani Pedrosa took the wholeshot in front of Yamaha Factory Racing´s pole-sitter Lorenzo. Monster Yamaha Tech3´s Cal Crutchlow soon went into third after bumping Nicky Hayden wide on turn 6. Such riding was the order of the day for the opening laps, as Lorenzo overtook Tech3´s Andrea Dovizioso with an aggressive move after he had been passed by the Italian shortly before.

Pedrosa´s team mate Casey Stoner then found his stride and moved to the front as he passed Lorenzo and then team mate Pedrosa. He was soon putting fast laps, yet could was unable to shake 2010 World Champion Lorenzo.

The battle behind was an enthralling affair, which saw Hayden, Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Crutchlow swap positions frequently, before being stretched slightly with 19 laps to go. Pedrosa got the better of the four and started to chase down the pair at the front.

Meanwhile, Pramac Racing´s Hector Barberá was defending ninth place in front of Ducati´s Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo´s team mate Ben Spies, Cardion AB Racing´s Karel Abraham and Power Electronics Aspar´s Randy de Puniet. Crutchlow, who had dropped off his team mate, caught up with Pedrosa and soon the pair diced for third.

Hayden looked to be struggling with 16 laps to go, as he dropped off the pace slightly and was passed by San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Álvaro Bautista into sixth, and then again by LCR Honda MotoGP´s Stefan Bradl, who took seventh. Meanwhile, Rossi passed Barberá and was looking to close down the eight-second gap to the American.

As the pack settled down somewhat by half race distance, it was Stoner keeping Lorenzo at bay by approximately 0.8s, whilst further down the track, Crutchlow was keeping Pedrosa on his toes for the final podium position. With nine laps to go Lorenzo put the hammer down and started closing on Stoner with the Australian firmly in his sight.

San Carlo Honda Gresini´s CRT rider Michelle Pirro retired to the pits with eight laps to go with an engine problem, whilst Cardion AB Racing´s Karel Abraham crashed at turn 13.

Further down the field, Barberá repeated his Qatar move five laps before the end, as he pushed his way past Rossi back into ninth, while Pedrosa and Crutchlow were giving the front pair something to think about as they closed the gap to only two seconds.

Lorenzo was keeping the home crowd on their feet as he was right on Stoners back wheel with two laps to go, however Stoner reminded people why he is World Champion by upping the pace in the final lap to take his first ever premier-class victory at the Andalucian track.

With Lorenzo taking the second podium spot, it was Pedrosa who managed to keep Crutchlow at bay to hold on for the final podium spot. Sixth place went to Crutchlow´s team mate Dovizioso, in front of Bautista and Stefan Bradl. Hayden was unable to keep his earlier pace as he finished seventh ahead of Rossi, Barberá and Ben Spies.

A very disappointed Randy de Puniet, who had looked on course to finish top CRT in 12th, pulled off in the last lap with mechanical issues, leaving the way for his team mate Aleix Espargaro to take top CRT honours.

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Lorenzo in Pole for Spain GP

MotoGP qualifying at the Gran Premio bwin de España was a thrilling affair as Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo took pole position in front of his home crowd in a frantic battle to the end with compatriot Dani Pedrosa.

After a spate of wet practice sessions, Yamaha Factory Racing´s Lorenzo took full advantage of the dry track, as he left it until the final lap to post a time of 1.39´532. Repsol Honda´s Pedrosa could not quite match the pace of his rival, yet starts tomorrow´s race from second on the grid, making it a Spanish one-two.

Completing the front row is surprise inclusion Nicky Hayden, who wrung the neck of his Ducati to place it third, just over a second behind Lorenzo. Fourth place went to Monster Yamaha Tech3´s Cal Crutchlow despite a crash towards the end. A rain scare half way through the session did however almost see him steal his first ever pole.

Stoner, who almost came off his bike at turn one, could not match the pace of his team mate, and had to settle for fifth on the grid. The second row is rounded out by Lorenzo´s team mate Spies, who was back on form after some subdued practice session in the wet, though a full 1.5s off the front.

Row three is headed up by Crutchlow´s team mate Andrea Dovizioso in seventh, while San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Álvaro Bautista, LCR Honda MotoGP´s Stefan Bradl and Power Electronics Aspar´s Randy de Puniet complete the top ten.

Valentino Rossi endured anther shocking qualifying session, finishing as last non-CRT bike again in 13th, after having shown promise in the earlier wet practice.

With a few damp patches still out on track, numerous riders were caught out including Avintia Blusens´ Yonny Hernandez, San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Michele Pirro, NGM Mobile Forward Racing´s Colin Edwards and Pramac Racing Team´s Hector Barberá, all suffering crashes throughout the session.

This is the first time since the 2010 Valencia MotoGP round that three separate manufacturers make up the front row.

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