Pacific GP. 2dn qualifying practice

Fonsi Nieto and Dani Pedrosa will start tomorrow as favourites in Japan
Dani Pedrosa in the 125cc and Fonsi Nieto in the 250cc set the fastest times
A masterful last lap of Fonsi Nieto in the 250cc, when everything seemed as if the fastest time would be that of the Italian Marco Melandri, allowed the Repsol rider to take his seventh pole of the season. With Nieto, Melandri and De Puniet contending for the pole and an exceptional guest, the 18-year old local hero Yuki Takahashi in fourth position, Toni Elias was not able to improve yesterday’s times, due to problems with his bike’s settings, and will therefore have to start tomorrow from the second row after setting the fifth fastest time. Things are becoming more and more contended in the premier category, and the best proof for it is the evenness in the starting grid, with the top ten riders within only one second. Valentino Rossi is still focussed on the improvement of the rear wheel of his bike and therefore wasn’t able to fight for the front row positions. Finishing sixth fastest, the Italian believes in the work and the experience of his team to have a bike which will allow him to fight for the victory tomorrow. His team-mate Tohru Ukawa, seventh after the second timed session, will also have to improve the settings of his bike if he wants to have a chance to step on the podium tomorrow. Overwhelming would be the best word to define Dani Pedrosa’s performance in Motegi since the beginning of the practices. Fastest in the four practice sessions held on the Japanese track, Pedrosa needs to win the race tomorrow if he wants to keep his options for the championship title. A victory and mistakes of his two highest rivals, Vincent and Poggiali, may turn things favourable again for Alberto Puig’s young pupil. And if this is being a very positive weekend for Pedrosa, unfortunately his team-mate Joan Olivé cannot say the same. Twenty-second after the second qualifying practice, Olivé will have to risk it all at the start and try not to loose contact with the head of the race in order to try and score as much points as possible.