What a Qualifying session, it was pretty hectic...with Stoner and Spies and Hayden all going down with heavy crashes, Stoner was worst out of it all though with a massive highside early on in the session with what was feared a suspected fractured ankle. But it's now been confirmed it's a torn ligament in his right ankle and is in doubt for the race. Spies crashed but continued to finish the session on his second bike after he was on a lap that would've got the pole at the time and easily broke the eventual lap record that Pedrosa got. As for Hayden he was knocked unconscious but regained consciousness but didn't get back out on the race track (ironically all the crashes were at the same spot).
Pedrosa takes pole in crash-strewn Indianapolis qualifying
Saturday, 18 August 2012
In a dramatic Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix qualifying session that was marred with heavy crashes, it was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa who grabbed pole position in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.
Pedrosa put in a new fastest ever lap in the high 1.38s, relegating Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo into second on the grid, after he had struggled with his bike in the preceding sessions. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso completes the front row, having improved steadily all weekend on his satellite machine. Heading up the second row in fourth is Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies, who did incredibly well to walk away from a big crash whilst pushing hard on a hot lap. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl will be very pleased with his day’s work, after the German rookie managed to put his bike fifth on the grid.
Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner, who set the sixth fastest time, suffered a monstrous highside early in the session, causing the red flag to appear, which is suspected to have resulted in torn ligament in his right ankle. He is undergoing further checks at the Indianapolis Methodist Hospital to confirm his injury and determine his race fitness for tomorrow. In seventh place on the grid, Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow was unable to match his teammate’s feat, but will no doubt be pleased with his session, after having suffered two crashes in previous outings.
Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden was viciously thrown off his bike in the same bend as Stoner and Spies (Turn 13), in the latter part of the session, briefly rendering him unconscious. The red flag was once again shown while Hayden received medical attention. He was spared any serious injuries, yet has also be taken to hospital for further assessment. His time would place him eighth on the grid. Row three is completed by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista in ninth, with Power Electronics Aspar’s Randy de Puniet putting in a terrific performance to round out the top ten on his CRT machine.
Ducati’s Valentino Rossi could only manage 11th place, after suffering a scare in turn 13 with his bike, causing him to abort his fast lap. Attack Performance’s Steve Rapp and GPTech’s Aaron Yates, both CRT wildcards this weekend, managed to qualify for the race, in 22nd and 23rd place respectively.
Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, who has been replaced by Toni Elías after fracturing three vertebrae in his back, is currently on his way back to Barcelona for further medical assessments.
www.motogp.com/en/news/2012/united+states+indianapolis+qp+motogp+pedrosaMotoGP Qualifying Practice Classification 2012
Indianapolis, Saturday, August 18, 2012
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev.
1 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 335.5 1'38.813
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 335.5 1'38.913 0.100 / 0.100
3 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 334.0 1'39.235 0.422 / 0.322
4 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 333.1 1'39.279 0.466 / 0.044
5 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 334.2 1'39.437 0.624 / 0.158
6 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 334.6 1'39.465 0.652 / 0.028
7 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 331.0 1'39.549 0.736 / 0.084
8 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 333.3 1'39.748 0.935 / 0.199
9 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 334.0 1'40.072 1.259 / 0.324
10 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 317.8 1'40.437 1.624 / 0.365
11 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 333.3 1'40.763 1.950 / 0.326
12 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 318.6 1'40.803 1.990 / 0.040
13 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Avintia Blusens BQR 312.3 1'41.197 2.384 / 0.394
14 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati 333.1 1'41.295 2.482 / 0.098
15 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Speed Master ART 311.9 1'41.370 2.557 / 0.075
16 51 Michele PIRRO ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini FTR 315.7 1'41.449 2.636 / 0.079
17 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 332.9 1'41.866 3.053 / 0.417
18 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 310.0 1'41.978 3.165 / 0.112
19 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda 296.9 1'42.553 3.740 / 0.575
20 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing Suter 315.0 1'42.599 3.786 / 0.046
21 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 314.0 1'42.768 3.955 / 0.169
22 15 Steve RAPP USA Attack Performance APR 300.9 1'43.673 4.860 / 0.905
23 20 Aaron YATES USA GPTech BCL 286.1 1'44.312 5.499 / 0.639
Weather Conditions:
| Track Condition: Dry| Air: 24º| Humidity: 39%| Ground: 48º
Records:
Fastest Lap: Lap: 25 Dani PEDROSA 1'38.813 153.6 Km/h
Circuit Record Lap: 2011 Casey STONER 1'39.807 152.1 Km/h
Best Lap: 2012 Dani PEDROSA 1'38.813 153.6 Km/h
www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/2012/INP/MotoGP/QP