Phillip Island, Oct 19: MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi sets record time in the final qualifying for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi underlined his dominance in the sport by taking pole position for the Australian Grand Prix in a track record time at the Phillip Island circuit, 130 km south-east of Melbourne. . The flamboyant Italian broke his own mark with a time of one minute 30.068 seconds on his Honda around the 4.448 km circuit in hot and sunny conditions on Saturday (October 18). Italy's Ducati rider Loris Capirossi was almost half a second behind in 1:30.496 with Spain's Honda rider Sete Gibernau third in 1:30.676.
Australia's Troy Bayliss on a Ducati completed the front row in 1:30.683. Rossi, 24, clinched his third consecutive world title in the premier class, now MotoGP, with victory in last week's Malaysian Grand Prix.


"I feel very confident with the bike," said Rossi, who has claimed eight pole positions this year. "I rode very well and without the pressure of the championship, I feel very relaxed," added the Italian, who is undecided on whether to remain with Honda for next year.


Spain's Aprilia rider Toni Elias, who has won three of the last four 250cc races, claimed his fifth consecutive pole in his final lap of 1:33.771 on Saturday.


San Marino's Aprilia rider Manuel Poggiali leads the standings but qualified in seventh place.


Poggiali, 20, could become the second-youngest 250cc world champion if he can finish ahead of Elias and Italy's Robert Rolfo and not be outscored by more than 18 points by France's Randy De Puniet on Sunday.


Poggiali, the 2001 125cc champion, is on 226 points, 25 ahead of Elias and Rolfo with De Puniet on 183. Italy's Aprilia rider Stefano Perugini capitalised on the absence of newly crowned 125cc world champion Daniel Pedrosa to take pole position in the closing minutes of Saturday's final qualifying session.


Spaniard Pedrosa is expected to be four months out of action after fracturing both ankles at the practice on Friday (October 17). The accident prompted MotoGP champion Rossi to criticize the track for containing a "very dangerous" corner.


Perugini, who is leading the race for runner-up on 159 points behind Spain's Honda rider Pedrosa on 223, clinched pole with a lap time of 1:37.342.


San Marino's Aprilia rider Alex De Angelis, who is third in the standings on 157 points, qualified second in 1:37.455.


Grid positions for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after Saturday's final qualifying session: MotoGP 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda one minute 30.068 seconds 2. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 1:30.496 3. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Honda 1:30.676 4. Troy Bayliss (Australia) Ducati 1:30.683 5. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Honda 1:30.863 6. Max Biaggi (Italy) Honda 1:30.993 7. Marco Melandri (Italy) Yamaha 1:31.227 8. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 1:31.280 9. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 1:31.302 10. Jeremy McWilliams (Britain) Proton KR 1:31.367


250cc 1. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 1:33.771 2. Sebastian Porto (Argentina) Honda 1:33.851 3. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 1:33.999 4. Randy De Puniet (France) Aprilia 1:34.085 5. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 1:34.188 6. Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia 1:34.446 7. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia 1:34.672 8. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 1:34.703 9. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 1:35.206 10. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 1:35.325


125cc 1. Stefano Perugini (Italy) Aprilia 1:37.342 2. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 1:37.455 3. Mika Kallio (Finland) KTM 1:37.644 4. Casey Stoner (Australia) Aprilia 1:37.787 5. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Derbi 1:37.802 6. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aprilia 1:37.824 7. Mirko Giansanti (Italy) Aprilia 1:37.828 8. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 1:37.958 9. Steve Jenkner (Germany) Aprilia 1:37.967 10. Lucio Cecchinello (Italy) Aprilia 1:38.038


Bureau Report