Pedrosa seals Malaysian pole
Dani Pedrosa has clinched pole position in a dramatic qualifying session at the Polini Malaysian Grand Prix. The Repsol-Honda driver pipped World Champion Casey Stoner to top spot by 0.041 seconds. Pedrosa refused to get carried away by his strong qualifying round, insisting nothing has been achieved yet.
He said: "We are on the pole again, which is good for a start. But I think the race is the most important."
The pole frequently changed hands on a dry track in humid conditions in Sepang. The Catalan former 250CC World Champion overcame a sluggish start to record a time of 2'01.877s, narrowly shading his Australian rival.
Punishing conditions paid few dividends for the drivers, who were forced to contend with a slippery track in the searing heat.
Ducati Marlboro's Stoner remained optimistic despite surrendering polo position.
"I was a little bit disappointed as I think we could have gone faster. But anyway things are looking good for the race tomorrow," the 21-year-old said.
Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) had to settle for third place on the grid, having finished 0.067s off the pole.
Kawaski duo Randi de Puniet and Ant West make up the second row having finished fourth and fifth respectively, in front of former World Champion Nicky Hayden.
Valentino Rossi's difficult weekend continued, the Yamaha driver slumped to ninth position, over half a second off the pace.
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