Dani Pedrosa of Repsol Honda RC213V Takes Pole Position

Repsol Honda RC213V rider Dani Pedrosa left it until the very last moment to claim a dazzling first pole position of the year at Mugello today, setting the fastest-ever lap of the spectacular 5.245km Mugello circuit in the Tuscan foothills. Team-mate Marc Marquez was hardly less impressive. The 20-year-old class rookie bounced back from a shocking crash yesterday – possibly the fastest ever in Grand Prix history – to claim sixth place, on the second row of the grid. Pedrosa is the only rider to win more than one race this year, and is aiming for a third win in succession to cement his World Championship points lead. His progress had started relatively slowly yesterday, when he was only fifth fastest. Overnight work adjusting his Honda RC213V to the fast and flowing circuit bore fruit, however; and a supreme effort at the very end of the crucial 15-minute final qualifying saw him edge Spanish rival Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) to second. Bad weather on Friday meant a damp start to free practice, robbing all riders of set-up time at the spectacular Italian circuit, which combines a long and undulating 1.1-km straight with fast looping corners and high-speed to-and-fro chicanes. The forecast was for continued rain, but the second of three days confounded the predictions, with sunshine breaking through a patchy cloud cover.