Rossi ... fastest ever lap of Catalunya
VALENTINO ROSSI secured his fourth pole position of the 2007 MotoGP season by setting the fastest ever two-wheeled lap of Catalunya, in blistering 50-degree trackside temperatures.
The Italian left it charismatically late in the session, posting a time of 141.8, to knock pole-sitter Randy De Puniet from the top slot. De Puniet, aboard his metallic green Kawasaki, made a heroic effort, setting a time only a tenth of a second slower than Rossi. De Puniet's still recovering from a nasty smash, in which he injured his left leg and shoulder, which makes his performance even more impressive.
Dani Pedrosa came in a solid third, posting a time of 1.42. The Spaniard was pushing hard on his home soil, reaching his limits towards the end of the session and outbraking himself on occasions.
Reigning world champion Nicky Hayden came in 7th place. He said when interviewed on TV:
'I'd like to be on the front row, but I'll just have to settle for the third instead. My race tyre's looking good so we'll see if we can latch onto one of the fast guys tomorrow and hang on.'
1st
Valentino Rossi - Yamaha 1:41.8
2nd
Randy De Puniet - Kawasaki 1:41.9
3rd
Dani Pedrosa - Honda 1:42.00
