Valencia Grand Prix -- Qualifying Report

Rossi 'Doctors' The Opposition

The final MotoGP qualifying session of the season promised to be a dramatic affair after free practice saw title protagonists Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden in prime position at the top of the timing sheets.

The one-hour dash for the pole did not disappoint with action aplenty, although Hayden's expected front row starting position did not come to fruition with three Bridgestone runners upsetting the apple cart.

The 60-minute run began slowly with Ducati Marlboro's Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss heading the field early on, and the pair were to feature heavily as the session progressed.

The fireworks began in earnest after 23-minutes when Kawasaki's Randy De Puniet slipped in an early qualifying tire to take the provisional pole with a time of 1:31.914. Capirossi countered five minutes later, taking over at the top of the order by 0.232 seconds, with several riders vying for a competitive grid position just behind the top two.

Casey Stoner, Colin Edwards and John Hopkins managed to probe the top five, with Troy Bayliss an ominous presence as the second half of the session began.

With 20-minutes remaining the newly crowned WSBK champion manoeuvred himself into position at the top of the standings with a lap of 1:31.585. However, just three minutes later, Repsol Honda's Hayden swept to provisional pole on the works V5 prototype by 0.207 seconds and there he remained until the final nine-minutes approached.

Valentino Rossi, who had survived a nasty front-end wobble at turn one earlier in the session, then threw down the gauntlet by demoting Hayden to second by 0.144 seconds as his team watched on from the Camel garage.

Sticky Michelin rubber could not help Edwards, Pedrosa and Melandri as all three found it difficult to convert the extra grip into a front row start, something Bridgestone's Nakano had no problem finding as the Japanese went third with four minutes to run.

With Rossi and Hayden on an out-lap with fresh qualifying rubber in the back of their factory machines, Troy Bayliss was pouring it on around the back of the circuit. The Australian manhandled his machine through the final sector, steered the 990cc beast out of the final corner, and caused wild celebration inside the Ducati pit-box by stealing pole from Rossi by just 0.024 seconds.

Hayden's final flying attempt looked to be a potential pole lap but it slipped away from the Kentuckian and Nicky could make no impact on the front row. As Hayden ran towards turn one, Valentino was approaching the line with the Yamaha M1 screaming underneath him and the Doctor stole the show with his fifth pole of the year, a 1:31.002 setting a new circuit record on his 28th lap.

The session wasn't over, though, as Loris Capirossi had managed to start a lap before the checkered flag fell, and the little Italian streamed across the line to take the final front row place, demoting Nakano to fourth.

Hayden ended the session in the middle of row two, with team-mate Pedrosa alongside him in sixth. Casey Stoner, who missed the morning session with a sore back, will start the final event of the year from the top of row three, with Vermeulen and Hopkins in eighth and ninth respectively.

Colin Edwards could not repeat the magic of Estoril and will start from tenth on the grid, with Marco Melandri (12th), Toni Elias (13th) and Kenny Junior (14th) all having a bad day at the office.

Valentino Rossi it is then that will start the 30-lap Bwin.com De La Comunitat Valenciana Grand Prix from pole with a pair of dancing Ducati's alongside him, Nick Hayden the leading Honda rider just over Rossi's shoulder in fifth.

The race is due to get underway at 2pm, local time, under sunny skies, a perfect setting for what could well be the race of the season. Hayden has nine points to find on Rossi to lift the 2006 MotoGP championship trophy and if he can get out front, he may find his rear gunners will be riding red motorcycles.

But, the obvious question is, can anyone stop the Doctor from taking a sixth consecutive title win as the maestro looks to be in devastating form?

Game on.

Press to follow.