The Repsol Honda Team rider Dani Pedrosa got his second consecutive pole of the season at the Australian track of Phillip Island, after a great fastest lap 4 minutes before the end of the timed MotoGP session. Strong winds and low temperatures were the main factors on the second day of practice. Fortunately the rain only fell in the morning during the 125cc free practice. In the afternoon the three grids were decided in the dry, with strong winds, making it difficult for the riders.
Pedrosa set the third best time in the third free practice session, but in the afternnon was among the leaders for the first 45 minutes. Fifteen minutes before the end, the Repsol rider went out with a classification tyre and was third fastest behind the local rider Stoner, the leader in this session. After putting his second classification tyre on, Pedrosa went back on the track to do a perfect lap, he was 6 tenths faster than Stoner.
Only Rossi was in a position to start attacking the leader at that moment, but in the end the Italian ended 2 tenths behind the Spaniard. So then, a very hard fought first row of the grid with Pedrosa first, Rossi second and Stoner third. The other Repsol Honda Team rider Nicky Hayden also launched his attack towards the end of the session trying to get on the first row too, but finally he was just one tenth away from his objective, finishing fourth in the timed session. Tomorrow he starts on the second row of the grid.
In 250cc the Repsol rider Julián Simón set the second best time in the morning behind Jorge Lorenzo, and was hoping to repeat the feat in the second and definitive timed practice. But technical problems on his bike number 1 and difficulties at some points of the circuit, where he lost time against his rivals, put him back in 9th position, he will strat on the third row of the grid. His teammate Shuhei Aoyama finished 10th and starts on the third row alongside Simón.
In 125cc Esteve Rabat had a fall this morning in the second free practice session. Rain made riding difficult for the riders in the morning, and Rabat was one of the riders who ended up on the ground. The Repsol rider lost control of his bike when his rear wheel slid and he was thrown off, but fortunately he was unhurt. In the morning Bradley Smith set the 6th best time in the wet, and Esteve Rabat the 20th. In the afternoon, with the track completely dry but with strong winds during the whole of the second timed session, Rabat quickly started to try and improve his times, something he did on his second lap. He moved up to 9th place and the Repsol rider stayed among the fifteen best during the session, he finished in 10th position and so tomorrow will start on the third row of the grid. His teammate Bradley Smith, with quite a few problems on his set up, was 13th and starts on the fourth row.
