Pedrosa grabs his first pole of the season at Le Mans

LE MANS (France): Spaniard Dani Pedrosa took his first pole position of the season at the French Grand Prix on Saturday with a last gasp lap that pushed Motogp champion and Honda team mate Casey Stoner into second place.

Pedrosa produced his best lap of one minute 33.638 seconds in his last attempt on a drying Le Mans track to beat the Australian who had led into the final minute.

Stoner, who said on Thursday he would retire at the end of the season because he had fallen out of love with the sport, will start second on the grid after lapping 0.303 seconds slower.

Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso, who is fifth in the championship standings for the Tech3 Yamaha team, completed the front row with Spain’s 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo starting fourth on a works Yamaha.

Valentino Rossi starts seventh for Ducati, the Italian’s best position so far this year.

On Friday, world champion Stoner dominated the first and second practice sessions after his shock announcement that he will quit the sport.

The 26–year–old Australian, who said on Thursday that he will bow out at the end of the season for personal reasons, led the pack with a combined time of 1:33.740 on his Honda.

Spain’s Dani Pedrosa, also on a Honda, was in second and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha in third.

Stoner has won 35 Motogp races in his career and leads the current standings by a point after winning two of the season’s three events ahead of today’s race.

“After yesterday’s announcement, I definitely felt a weight off my shoulders when I got on the bike this morning,” admitted two–time world champion Stoner.

“The last two races I’ve had a lot of thoughts running through my mind and this weekend I already feel better knowing it’s off my chest and we can now focus on the rest of the season, and try to enjoy it.”

Stoner admitted on Thursday that he had lost his passion for the sport while also becoming increasingly frustrated at technical changes in the championship.

“I made my decision this early in the season out of respect for Honda. If I had waited until the last race, I could have left a lot of people embarrassed,” he said. — AFP