Factory Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso put his soft rear tyre to good use in MotoGP qualifying in Qatar today, taking pole position by more than two-tenths of a second from Dani Pedrosa while Britain’s Cal Crutchlow crashed unhurt at turn 14.
Dovizioso put in a 1’54.113 on his fifth lap to secure top spot on what is still a brand new Desmosedici GP15 but it took the soft tyre to put Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa into second place. The Spaniard was at the top of the tree for most of the 15 minute dash and finished with a 1’54.330, using the medium rubber.
His team-mate, and reigning champion, Marc Marquez, had no answer and had to settle for the outside of the front row. His 1’54.437 was set on his second lap out and he couldn’t find the pace to challenge his compatriot.
Andrea Iannone, who had been widely-tipped for the pole on the second works Ducati, also ran the soft tyre for the session but couldn’t make the most of it and ended in fourth on a 1’54.521, set on his final lap.
Pramac Ducati’s Yonny Hernandez will start from the middle of the second row, another rider to use the soft tyre to good effect, and he will be joined by Jorge Lorenzo, who said yesterday that even getting on to the second row would be tough.
He was chased hard by Britain’s Bradley Smith who only squeaked through qualifying one with his final effort. The Monster Yamaha man stuck in a 1’54.732 on his satellite M1 which compares favourable to Lorenzo’s 1’54.732, making up tenths of a second in the last sector.
Valentino Rossi ended in eighth place and nearly three-quarters of a second off the pace. He is joined on row three by Danilo Petrucci on the second Pramac Ducati. Pol and brother Aleix Espargaro are in tenth and 11th places, the Suzuki man unable to use his soft tyre to any effect.
Crutchlow’s crash saw him slip from third early doors down to 12th on the LCR Honda and he rounds out the fourth row. Scott Redding, on an identical RC213V, is in 14th after just missing out on qualifying two.
Eugene Laverty ended in 19th place, two behind Aspar Honda team-mate Nicky Hayden while Jack Miller crashed early in qualifying one and starts tomorrow in 22nd, one place ahead of injured Loris Baz.
