Catalunya MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo secures home pole position

Jorge Lorenzo will start his home race at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona from pole position after a stunning performance in this afternoon’s sun-drenched MotoGP qualifying session.

The Fiat Yamaha rider kept his 100 per cent front row qualifying record intact with a best lap of 1.41.974, which beat team-mate and MotoGP title rival Valentino Rossi by just 0.013s.

In searing heat that saw air temperatures soar to over 35 degrees, double world 250 champion Lorenzo snatched pole on his last lap for his first pole position since the opening round in Qatar.

Rossi had led most of the final minutes of the session but a lap of 1.41.987 on his last lap was not good enough to claim his second pole of 2009.

The Italian though will start tomorrow’s 25-lap race from the front row for the first time since he was on pole in Japan at the second round.

With the Fiat Yamaha duo again in dominant form, Aussie and current world championship leader Casey Stoner secured the final place on the front row with a best time of 1.42.426.

British rider James Toseland’s improved form continued as he claimed his best grid position of the season in ninth. The 28-yesar-old clocked a best time of 1.43.233 to finish just 1.259s off pole position and a tenth off Toni Elias in fifth place.

Texan Colin Edwards walked away unhurt from a crash in the final five minutes and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider will start from. He was lying fifth when he crashed his YZR-M1 machine.

He will start from sixth on the grid for the third successive race and fourth time in 2009. Dani Pedrosa suffered more misery too when he crashed his Repsol Honda RC212V in the closing moments while trying to improve on his eighth position.

Landing heavily on his right hip, which he’s needed pain-killing injections in this weekend just to ride, the Spaniard needed to be carried away on a stretcher having run-off track and then failing to control his RC212V as he hurtled through the gravel trap. More to follow later.