MotoGP: Lorenzo takes pole at Estoril

Fiat Yamaha rookie slaughters the opposition and lap record to take the premier slot for Sunday's Portuguese Grand Prix




Lorenzo... on pole for Sunday's Portuguese GP

Jorge Lorenzo took his third MotoGP pole position in a row at Estoril today setting a new lap record ahead of tomorrow's Portuguese Grand Prix.

Lorenzo torched Estoril's MotoGP lap record by posting a 1:35.715 best with 3 minutes of the hour-long session remaining.

Fellow countryman Dani Pedrosa took second place on the grid with a 1:35.948 - beating third place man, Valentino Rossi who held pole for much of the session but couldn't quite match his team-mate's stunning performance.

Britain's James Toseland, riding a Tech 3 Yamaha, improved on yesterday's disappointing performance and even held pole for a short time, posting a 1:36.790 to secure sixth place on the grid.

Reigning world champion Casey Stoner struggled to gain any decent pace from his Ducati Desmosedici, finishing the session in a lowly (for him) ninth place. Team-mate Marco Melandri had a bad run yet again, failing to get into the top sixteen

Portuguese Grand Prix Qualifying Results

1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory 1:35.715

2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda HRC 1:35.948

3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha Factory 1:36.199

4 Nicky Hayden Honda HRC 1:36.266

5 Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech3 1:36.289

6 James Toseland Yamaha Tech3 1:36.790

7 Andrea Dovizioso Honda Scot 1:36.998

8 Randy De Puniet Honda LCR 1:37.223

9 Casey Stoner Ducati MotoGP 1:37.253

10 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing 1:37.346

11 Shinya Nakano Honda Gresini 1:37.664

12 Loris Capirossi Suzuki MotoGP 1:37.786

13 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki MotoGP 1:37.843

14 Antonio Elias Ducati d Antin 1:38.561

15 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing 1:38.775

16 Alex De Angelis Honda Gresini 1:38.823