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2009-09-05 Valentino Rossi grabs Misano pole - rider claims
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 Valentino Rossi transformed all-weekend top performance to another pole position, edging his rivals in last lap. Jorge Lorenzo was right behind Rossi through most of the session, but at the end he was re-delegated to 3rd position by Dani Pedrosa. Toni Elias sneaked to 4th place on the grid, while Colin Edwards completed top 5 fastest riders in Misano. Read rider claims after qualifying session.
Valentino Rossi - 1st:
We expected it to be a bit cooler today but in the end it wasn't so different from yesterday and it's still very hard work for all the riders. This afternoon the grip wasn't great and we found it a bit harder with the race pace, but then we made a second round of modifications and everything felt very good. I am very happy to get the pole position here in Misano. I was able to do a great first lap on my final tyre and that was enough for pole, and the team changed the tyre in the time of an F1 pit stop so thanks to them! We know that it's going to be a very tough race tomorrow, but we are in good shape. If anyone is wondering about my helmet...I have the donkey on it because in Italy, if you make a stupid mistake we say that you are a donkey. I made a mistake in Indy so this is why! I think it's very funny!"
Dani Pedrosa - 2nd:
It’s great to get a front row start here and we weren’t far away from pole position which is a good result from this afternoon because our rivals are very strong again here. During the session we were working on race set-up and we still have a little way to go to improve my race pace and consistency compared to the others. In qualifying I was able to up my speed towards the end and I was pushing really hard because it’s very important to get on the front row here and give yourself the best chance of a clean getaway. It’s sure to be an exciting race tomorrow and I hope we can find that little bit extra so we can challenge for the win again. It’s likely to be a tough race because it was hot and windy today, but I’m looking forward to it – the atmosphere is sure to be special.
Jorge Lorenzo - 3nd:
I think the race tomorrow is going to be quite painful in this heat and the physical condition is going to be very important! It will be a long race but we are in good shape and I am looking forward to the challenge. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough with the soft tyre right at the end, but we are still on the front row once again and this is the most important thing. My race pace is very good and I did some consistent runs, even though we still have some areas that we need to improve a bit because our setting isn't perfect yet. But I know that I can push tomorrow, even if it will be very hard.
Toni Elias - 4th:
I’m really pleased because nobody ever expects to improve by two seconds in one day. One second is quite easy, but two? It’s amazing really but it shows what a great job the team have done. I wasn’t happy yesterday but I knew exactly where the problems were and I was able to get the message across to the team, who responded perfectly once again. We still have a couple of things to work on and I’d like to take another step forward before the race to close the gap further on the three guys ahead of us, but for the moment I’m contented and excited about our chances tomorrow.
Colin Edwards - 5th:
I would like to say I could win the race but it's going be tough. Anything in the mid-35s pace in this heat will be very good and I'll need a good start and push it early with guys up front. It's been a little bit tough this weekend to get right on the pace, everything feels like it is happening faster than normal which takes a little getting used to. This morning we tried a different weight balance but that didn't work, I couldn't get enough weight on the front. We have played around with the front geometry and now I have headed towards the set-up used by Jorge Lorenzo and I think it's better. I've been fighting with running wide and not having enough turning. At the end of the session I put in the soft tyres and I thought, 'I either crash it or put in a fast lap' and I'm not sure I even shut off the throttle for the corner onto the back straight. The weather is hot but it's OK, when the adrenaline is pumping you don't know if it's the ice age or heat wave.
Nicky Hayden - 6th:
This morning I had a really good feeling with the bike and put together a good rhythm – I was fastest in T4 and that’s the first time this year I’ve been fastest at anything in the dry! I’d hoped to improve and do my best dry qualifying of the year this afternoon but to begin with the track was a little warmer and I didn’t get that same level of feeling, so we had to make some tweaks to the set-up. Like I say, I’d hoped to do better than what I did but we got on the second row and our focus turns to tomorrow. I need to get a great start because those first two or three turns are going to be harsh – everybody will be fighting for positions and there’s a good chance of some drama there! We want to get through that cleanly and as high up the order as possible in the early stages. From there it’s a case of giving my maximum for all the Italian fans and trying to put their bike up front. It is great to have their support here and all the staff from Bologna – Claudio (Domenicali), Filippo (Preziosi), Vitto (Guareschi), Alan (Jenkins)… It’s fun and I’m enjoying having them around so hopefully we can celebrate a result together tomorrow.
Alex De Angelis - 7th:
I started out the session well and we put a really good rhythm together on race tyres but for some reason we couldn’t make an improvement on the softer tyre and that’s a shame because even if we’d just found an extra tenth I’d have been on the second row. Anyway, the important thing is the race set-up and we’re in good shape, so if I can get a good start tomorrow then we can look forward to another good race. I have a lot of fans here and a lot of support from everybody in San Marino so it would be great to give them all something to celebrate.
Andrea Dovizioso - 8th:
I have a good pace with race tyres, and we improved the rhythm and reduced the gap to the front riders this afternoon which I’m pleased about. We are six tenths behind with our race pace and quite close to Dani so I was happy about this. Unfortunately I couldn’t go fast enough with the soft tyre and so my starting position is not what I wanted. I’m disappointed about that because it could compromise the race and it means I really have to make a good start and try to recover positions right from the beginning. It won’t be easy as it’s tricky to overtake in the first corners because you have a group of bikes all going through together. But still, I think we’ve been making progress with the set-up and the potential from our package is good.
Randy de Puniet - 9th:
I am quite happy because we improved our machine set-up, winning a lot of time in this morning’s session. My lap time was quite fast and I could have shaved off a few more tenths at the end of qualifying but I found some traffic. Anyway, I am pretty close to the fifth-fastest guy, so I’m pleased with that, considering that a month ago I was in hospital with a fractured left ankle. We are back in the group where we should be. If we get a good start I think we can score another positive result. We still have to fine-tune the machine and adjust a few things in warm-up, but I like this track and we are going in the right direction.
Loris Capirossi - 10th:
We took another step today with the setting so that was good, but we tried two different set-ups this afternoon and I am not really sure which is the best one - we will need to look at the data tonight to see. The first few laps this afternoon were quite good but I struggled a bit in the middle of the session and then I managed to go a bit better again towards the end. I am not happy with my 10th position on the grid as I feel we have a much better potential than that. Tomorrow it will be important to do a good warm-up and get a good feeling and then to start the race well. Our rhythm is as good as anyone in the top-six - other than the two Yamaha's and the one Honda at the front - so we need to get in that group and make sure we stay there!
Mika Kallio - 11 th:
We have improved by eight tenths of a second on yesterday, which isn’t bad but clearly isn’t enough because the other guys have improved more. We’ve tried many things this weekend to try and get a better feeling with the front but we’re still not getting the feedback we would like and we’re struggling to work out why that is. Now we need to think carefully about what we try in the morning because confidence is a big issue and if we go completely in the wrong direction it can be damaging. We’ll make some small modifications that I hope can be enough to help me push more and get more out of the bike in the race.
Chris Vermeulen - 13th:
We have improved the bike a lot today and the issues we had yesterday never came back because the guys worked really hard to overcome them last night. The bike felt much more consistent and we are very close to sixth place, but it is so tight here on times and there is a big group all together. We have been going quicker all day and the last lap I did was my fastest. The only downside was that we kept the same front tyre in for the whole session and at the end it had done 33-laps - much more than race distance. I am disappointed with 13th place but I am happy with my race pace and the lap-times I was doing in qualifying I am sure I can do in the race, so hopefully we'll be quite strong tomorrow.
James Toseland - 14th:
I had a tough session. With the new set-up from Indy last week we are still finding our way with this geometry and just got a little bit lost with the direction but right at the end the feeling was a lot better. I think there is positive potential in the changes from Indy and following a meeting with the team I think we now have a better direction. We have been making changes to improve the rear grip but this has been compromising the front feeling, the changes aren't big but it's frustrating to be 14th. We are so close to finding something really good and being where Colin is and I know I can do the same job. I've got some more pace for the race and I'll give it my best shot even though it's difficult to pass here. On my final two laps the bike was feeling good and I was behind Dovizioso and I could stay with him but then Talmacsi was waiting for someone and got in behind Dovi, but he couldn't keep up and that slowed me. It is no one's fault, just bad timing.
Aleix Espargaro - 15th:
This morning with the hard tyre it went much better while in the afternoon I couldn't manage to improve. With the soft tyre instead it went well in both sessions. Tomorrow we will see the temperatures and we will have to evaluate which kind of tyre to use in the race. During my fast lap I always remained blocked in the group and I couldn't improve so much, but notwithstanding the fifteenth position I remain trustful for tomorrow's race and I will try to reach the points zone just like seven days ago in Indianapolis.
Niccolò Canepa - 16th:
Today we have worked a lot with my technicians. The bike set up is almost ready in case the track temperature will remain the same. I lose too much time in the third sector where anyway I have improved compare to this morning. We will have to gain some tenth of a second in tomorrow's warm up to be able to be closer to the faster riders in the race. For sure I will give all I have to accomplish a good race.
Gabor Talmacsi - 17th:
We have a new man in our crew – a suspension technician. It seems that the cooperation started well here, because we have been able to improve our performance by one second from the beginning to the end of the qualifying session. We tested different set-ups, and in my opinion are going in the right direction. The bike still feels a bit too light in the straight and still suffers a bit in the tight corners. The day did not begin in the best possible way – I did not feel well and I had to ask for help at the Clinical Mobile. This afternoon I felt much better.
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