Repsol Honda RC212V rider Dani Pedrosa stormed to a brilliant pole position at Sepang this afternoon, triumphing at the end of a complex session which started out on a soaking wet track. This is his first pole with Bridgestone tyres, which he used for the first time three races ago, at last month’s Indianapolis GP.

Thanks to some clever work from his crew, Pedrosa timed his final run to perfection, snatching pole in the final moments of the session when the track was dry enough for slicks but still damp in places. Heavy rainfall hit MotoGP's only tropical venue shortly before lunch, earlier than usual. Riders started the session on rain tyres, switching to wets with about 20 minutes remaining. From that point on, lap times started tumbling, with pole position sometimes changing twice in a minute.

Pedrosa's step-by-step approach to race preparation had paid dividends this morning when the Spaniard cut almost a second from his best Friday time to complete the third practice session less than two tenths off the fastest time, which had been set by a rival using qualifying tyres.

"It is fantastic to be on pole here, especially since this is my first pole with Bridgestone tyres, so a big thank you to them and also to my team who have worked so hard for this. Track conditions were changing all the time this afternoon, so it was quite tricky. At the beginning it was wet, then little by little the track dried, so you had to be on the ball to understand when it was best to change tyres. I was able to get in a good lap time in my final run, and I'm very happy to get this pole position. Pole is particularly important here because the lap times are all very close, so a good start will be crucial. We already know what race tyres we are going to use and I feel that we are ready to race. Of course, everything depends on the weather, it usually rains here most days, so we will have to wait and see when tomorrow's rain storm arrives. It could be wet, dry or mixed."

QUALIFYING PRACTICES

1 D. PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team 2'01.548
2 V. ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.409
3 J. LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.623
4 N. HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team + 0.644
5 C. EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha + 0.697
6 A. DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 1.288
7 C. STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team + 1.405
8 L. CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1.530
9 R. DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP + 1.562
10 J. HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team + 1.636

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