Dutch MotoGP, Assen
Date: 25-26 June
Friday 25 June: Qualifying: 1150-1500, BBC Red Button/online
Saturday 26 June: 125cc and Moto2 races: 0950-1205, BBC Red Button/online; Race live: 1240-140, BBC Red Button/online; MotoGP highlights: 2330-0030, BBC Two

Lorenzo led from start to finish at Silverstone last Sunday

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo secured his second successive pole position after dominating qualifying at the Dutch MotoGP in Assen.

The Fiat Yamaha rider, who topped the grid at the British MotoGP last week before winning, clocked 1 minute 34.515 seconds over the 4.542km circuit.

Randy de Puniet, on an LCR Honda, was 0.282secs back in second while Marlboro Ducati's Casey Stoner was third.

Lorenzo's nearest title rival, Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso, placed sixth.

Rookie Ben Spies, third at Silverstone last weekend, grabbed a season-best fourth on his Tech 3 Yamaha, with Stoner's team-mate Nicky Hayden fifth.

Former world champion Stoner set the early pace but his time was beaten by Lorenzo's seventh lap effort.

Frenchman De Puniet then briefly occupied pole before Spain's Lorenzo again found the necessary speed to claim top spot and produce the same starting one-two that began at Silverstone last Sunday.

And Lorenzo is aiming to dominate again, as he did at Silverstone when he led from start to finish.

"I will try to escape but if I can't I will fight for the podium," the 23-year-old Spaniard said.

"We can afford to be very calm because of our lead in the standings but the team and I are still working as hard as we can to keep going at this level; we're not relaxing."

Lorenzo is the overwhelming favourite to win on Saturday, when he will be aiming for his fourth victory in six races.

And in the continued absence of six-time world champion Valentino Rossi, who broke his leg at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month, the Spaniard remains in control in the riders' championship.

With 13 of the 18 rounds remaining, Lorenzo is out in front on 115 points, 37 ahead of Italy's Dovizioso, with Spanish Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, who starts from seventh on Saturday, third on 73.

Gresini Honda's Marco Melandri, meanwhile, has been ruled out of Saturday's race after dislocating his left shoulder in a high-side during morning practice.

In the 125cc class, Britain's Bradley Smith missed out on pole to Spain's Marc Marquez - as was the case at Silverstone last week.

Italian rider Andrea Iannone, meanwhile, heads the grid in the Moto2 class, while British rider Scott Redding starts near the bottom in 20th position.

Dutch MotoGP qualifying results:
1 Jorge Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 1min 34.515secs
2 Randy de Puniet (Fra) Honda +0.282secs
3 Casey Stoner (Aus) Ducati +0.288
4 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha +0.411
5 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati +0.484
6 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda +0.500
7 Dani Pedrosa (Spn) Honda +0.647
8 Marco Simoncelli (Spn) Ducati +0.768
9 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha +0.878
10 Aleix Espargaro (Spn) Ducati +1.078

125cc qualifying results:
1 Marc Marquez (Spn) Derbi 1:42.191
2 Bradley Smith (GB) Aprilia +0.584
3 Nicolas Terol (Spn) Aprilia +0.674

Moto2 qualifying results:
1 Andrea Iannone (Ita) Speed Up 1:39.092
2 Ratthapark Wilairot (Tha) Bimota +0.215
3 Alex Debon (Spn) FTR +0.492

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version