Donington : 125cc & 250cc - Qualifying 1125cc World Championship contender Simone Corsi qualified on provisional pole for this weekend´s Donington clash.
Looking to regain the leadership of the 125cc World Championship, Simone Corsi took a step closer to his goal
with provisional pole in the opening qualifying session at Donington Park. The Jack&Jones WRB rider clocked a 1´37.488 lap in the dry at the British track, something that could prove invaluable if rain falls before the final Saturday run.
Corsi was less than a tenth of a second faster than Gabor Talmacsi, the 2007 World Champion who has returned to form after a difficult start to his title defence. The Hungarian was in turn 0.129 faster than Bancaja Aspar teammate Sergio Gadea who, alongside home rider Scott Redding, also features on the provisional front row.
Provisonal poleman for the past two races, Belson Derbi´s Pol Espargaro was fifth fastest, ahead of the morning´s quickest rider Andrea Iannone. Also placing on the temporary second row are Nico Terol and Repsol KTM rookie Marc Marquez.
A rider favoured for victory this weekend, Polaris World´s Bradley Smith could only manage the twelfth fastest time of the session, having run-off track early on.
Bautista takes provisional 250cc pole
Alvaro Bautista came close to breaking Jorge Lorenzo´s pole record, en route to a provisional 250cc top spot.
Yet to qualify off the front row in 2008, Alvaro Bautista was the fastest rider in the 250cc class as he put himself in provisional pole for the bwin.com British Grand Prix. His 1´31.834 lap of the Donington Park circuit –just 0.175 slower than Jorge Lorenzo´s pole position record- concluded the Friday afternoon World Championship activity.
The rider who beat Bautista in a last lap duel at the previous round, Marco Simoncelli is also on a run of front row starts. If he can confirm or improve his placing from the opening day, it will be four consecutive races at which the Metis Gilera man has started from the first line of attack, with wins at the past two Grands Prix.
Quickest in the first free practice session, Hector Barbera joins Bautista and Simoncelli on the potential front row, alongside Emmi-Caffe Latte´s Thomas Luthi. A second separated Bautista and Luthi´s respective times.
JiR Team Scot´s Yuki Takahashi was fifth fastest, ahead of a fellow Japanese rider in the form of KTM man Hiroshi Aoyama. Julian Simon and Aleix Espargaro completed the temporary second line, which could become the permanent placing if rain affects tomorrow´s final qualifying session.
Championship contenders Mika Kallio and Mattia Pasini finished eleventh and twelfth fastest, with the latter falling in an innocuous lowside.
