Assen MotoGP: Stoner storms to pole

Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner will start tomorrow’s MotoGP race from pole position after a last minute fast lap bumped team-mate Dani Pedrosa off the top spot.

It looked as though Pedrosa would claim pole after setting the fastest lap in the opening minutes of the session before rain started to fall. The rain only lasted a few minutes before the riders were able to return to the track.

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo completes the front row in third.

The second row is headed by MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl, with an injured Cal Crutchlow in fifth ahead of Ben Spies.

Randy de Puniet starts as the top CRT rider in 12th place. The Frenchman was less than a second slower than Valentino Rossi whol will start from 10th.

James Ellison will start from 19th on the Paul Bird Motorsport machine.

1 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 303.4 1’33.713 
2 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 303.4 1’33.828 0.115 / 0.115
3 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 305.7 1’34.001 0.288 / 0.173
4 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 304.0 1’34.035 0.322 / 0.034
5 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 299.0 1’34.486 0.773 / 0.451
6 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 297.2 1’34.644 0.931 / 0.158
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 299.6 1’34.698 0.985 / 0.054
8 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 299.4 1’34.722 1.009 / 0.024
9 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 300.0 1’34.751 1.038 / 0.029
10 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 302.1 1’35.057 1.344 / 0.306
11 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 305.0 1’35.289 1.576 / 0.232
12 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 286.6 1’35.830 2.117 / 0.541
13 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 286.3 1’36.007 2.294 / 0.177
14 51 Michele PIRRO ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR 283.2 1’36.647 2.934 / 0.640
15 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Speed Master ART 284.7 1’36.943 3.230 / 0.296
16 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda 270.0 1’36.967 3.254 / 0.024
17 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati 302.8 1’37.110 3.397 / 0.143
18 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Avintia Blusens BQR 279.8 1’37.191 3.478 / 0.081
19 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 283.5 1’37.281 3.568 / 0.090
20 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 284.3 1’37.554 3.841 / 0.273
21 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing Suter 283.4 1’38.305 4.592 / 0.751