Written by:
SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com
Fiat Yamaha Team's Jorge Lorenzo (Photo: Yamaha Racing)
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PROGRAMMING NOTE: MotoGP Qualifying from Laguna Seca will air on SPEED on Saturday, July 4 at 10:00pm ET.
Jorge Lorenzo crashed twice in qualifying at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix but still ended the session in pole position.
Medical checks will be required for poleman Lorenzo and his World Championship rival Casey Stoner after a dramatic qualifying session at Laguna Seca, which ended with the Spaniard being stretchered away having set the pole position time -- a 1’21.678 hot lap.
Fiat Yamaha’s former 250cc World Champion Lorenzo was unaffected by a lowside crash on the fourth corner with 20 minutes to go, jumping on his second M1 to grab pole for Sunday’s race before a massive highside crash saw him taken away from trackside and straight to the Laguna medical centre for checks on an apparently injured right leg.
Second fastest qualifier Valentino Rossi stood alone in parc fermé, having lapped 0.167s behind Lorenzo, with third fastest rider Casey Stoner also crashing heavily on Turn 3 in the final minutes. Stoner appeared to be walking unaided, albeit unsteadily, after the session.
The second row for Sunday’s eighth MotoGP contest of 2009 will be an all Honda affair, with factory pair Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso qualifying fourth and fifth respectively, in front of San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elías -- all three less than half a second down on Lorenzo.
MotoGP’s American representatives Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati) will be joined on row three by Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), who like Hayden has a good record at Laguna.
The top ten qualifiers list was completed by Vermeulen’s veteran teammate Loris Capirossi.
