Chemnitz, July 27: Italy's Max Biaggi took pole position for the German MotoGP with a spectacular ride. Argentina's Sebastian Porto will be on pole for the 250cc race and Italian Stefano Perugini for the 125. Biaggi, riding a Honda, lapped the Sachsenring course on Saturday (July 26) in one minute 23.734 seconds, a mere two-thousandths of a second ahead of Britain's Jeremy McWilliams on a Proton KR in 1:23.736. Biaggi also grabbed pole at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago in the closing seconds of qualifying and won the race despite finishing second -- thanks to a 10-second penalty handed to Rossi. McWilliams said the challenging tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit in undulating hills near the Czech border was ideal. He took full advantage of the extra manoeuvrability of his old two-stroke 500cc Proton KR. McWilliams's team, run by former world champion Kenny Roberts, have been forced to use the old machines because of a shortage of engine parts for their new four-stroke bike.


Loris Capirossi of Italy on a Ducati took third in 1:24.058, with world champion Valentino Rossi, who took provisional pole on Friday, completing the first row in fourth on his Honda in 1:24.253.


Rossi, who has been battling a cold, said he was content to be on the front row for Sunday's race and not all that disappointed, even though he had beaten Biaggi on Friday to take the provisional pole.


Rossi leads the championship with 167 points ahead of Spain's Sete Gibernau, who was fifth on Saturday and has 133 points and Biaggi in third with 130. Rossi is looking to earn his fourth win of the season in the ninth round of the 16 race series and last before three-week summer break.


Argentina's Sebastian Porto on a Honda will be on pole for the 250cc race, with Roberto Rolfo of Italy, also on a Honda, in second. Porto's time was 1:25.728 and Rolfo's 1:25.891. Third fastest was Franco Battaini of Italy on an Aprilia in 1:25.944 and fourth Fonsi Nieto of Spain, also on an Aprilia in 1:25.963.


In the 125cc qualifying, Aprilias filled the front row. Italy's Stefano Perugini took pole with a time of 1:27.717. Second fastest was Alex de Angelis of San Marino in 1:27.771, followed by Hector Barbera of Spain (1:28.022) and Italy's Lucio Cocchinello (1:28.097).


Leading grid positions for Sunday's German motorcycling grand prix after final qualifying on Saturday: MotoGP 1. Max Biaggi (Italy) Honda one minute 23.734 seconds 2. Jeremy McWilliams (Britain) Proton 1:23.736 3. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 1:24.058 4. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 1.24.253 5. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Honda 1:24.287 6. Troy Bayliss (Australia) Ducati 1:24.405 7. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 1:24.423 8. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 1:24.492 9. Nobuatsu Aoki (Japan) Proton 1:24.574 10. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 1:24.592


250cc 1. Sebastian Porto (Argentina) Honda 1:25.728 2. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 1:25.891 3. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 1:25.944 4. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 1:25.963 5. Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia 1:26.032 6. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia 1:26.104 7. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 1:26.116 8. Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia 1:26.381 9. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 1:26.517 10. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 1:26.878


125cc 1. Stefano Perugini (Italy) Aprilia 1:27.717 2. Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 1:27.771 3. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aprilia 1:28.022 4. Lucio Cecchinello (Italy) Aprilia 1:28.097 5. Casey Stoner (Australia) Aprilia 1:28.223 6. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 1:28.291 7. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 1:28.355 8. Gino Borsoi (Italy) Aprilia 1:28.392 9. Steve Jenkner (Germany) Aprilia 1:28.457 10. Simone Corsi (Italy) Honda 1:28.459


Bureau Report