Share
avant-match
Qualification
Follow the Grand Prix Japan live. This MotoGP race starts at 06:55 on 13 October 2012. Find race results, calendar, standings, scores and all of this season’s MotoGP races.
Motorcycling fans can read breaking Motorcycling news, interviews and expert commentary. Don’t miss the upcoming Motorcycling events. Make us your go-to source for sports online from Motorcycling to football and more.
Highlights
Remove
Join us tomorrow at 06:00 UK time for what promises to be an enthralling Japanese GP.
POLE FOR LORENZO!! 1:44.969, where did that come from? Astonishing from the championship leader. His sixth pole position of the year, with Dani Pedrosa second and Cal Crutchlow hanging on to a front row position.
Out comes the chequered flag, and all eyes on Jorge Lorenzo on his final flying lap...
Spies crashes at low speed on the entry to the start-finish straight. Not altogether surprising as he has had a couple of moments this hour.
Pedrosa again! He nips another four hundredths off his own time. 1:45.215.
Spies spoils a quick one as he wobbles under braking and runs on...
Pedrosa fastest!! He pulls out a tenth and a half on the final sector and he sneaks ahead of Crutchlow by five thousandths!
Crash for Karel Abraham - he pushes just a little too hard and the bike slides away from him. He's fine.
Better from Pedrosa, who goes fourth. But still, he would have expected a front row position.
Dani Pedrosa needs a lap - he is down in seventh place, on the third row.
James Ellison has had a fall. He is up and fine, but his bike is in a heap on the gravel. With less than 10 minutes remaining, that could be the end of his qualifying session.
Crutchlow! Pole posirion! 1:45.257! Cracking lap, but he follows it up by riding off the black stuff. A loss on concentration there, but he stays on board and there does not seem to be any damage done. He had a massive moment on that flying lap, too, nearly falling off his bike on a right-hander.
Stoner clocks his fastest lap of the session - 1:45.870 which is enough to send him fourth.
Bautista interrupts the Yamaha damage, taking his Gresini Honda to second place with a 1:45.786.
Andrea Dovizioso goes second with a 1:45.868 - Yamahas occupy the first four positions!
Boom! 1:45.506 for Ben Spies - the fastest lap of the weekend and the American goes fastest by four tenths! Still thee tenths off the lap record, but still, that's very impressive.
Crash for Michele Pirro, who loses his Gresini Honda and goes into the gravel. No significant damage done. He remounts.
We're just in that lull phase of qualifying - not much going on as the teams prepare for their final few laps.
Crutchlow looked set to go top of the pile, but lost two tenths on the final sector and stays second.
Rossi completes another lap and stays in ninth place. Not exactly stellar stuff.
Let's take a look down the pack - 1-Lorenzo, 2-Crutchlow, 3-Pedrosa, 4-Bautista, 5-Bradl, 6-Spies, 7-Dovizioso, 8-Stoner, 9-Rossi, 10-Nakasuga, 11-Barbera, 12-Hayden, 13-Abraham, 14-Espargaro, 15-De Puniet.
Lorenzo fastest with a 1:45.937, and Cal Crutchlow goes second! 1:45.964 for the Briton. Both men have done 11 laps.
Nicky Hayden goes off - he runs wide at a left-hander and goes onto the dirt - he gets back onto the track as he goes under the tunnel.
Stefan Bradl is back out after his spill earlier. Not sure whether that is the number one bike or the spare. Probably the latter - no sign of any damage to it.
Pedrosa goes fastest - 1:46.087 for him, and we have an all-Spanish front row as it stands. Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Bautista.
Very little action at the top of the leaderboard - but Casey Stoner just had a wobble that could have been unpleasant but he managed to steady the ship.
On British Eurosport, Neil Spalding is giving a good, detailed explanation of the deal that has put MotoGP rights-holder Dorna in charge of World Superbikes. Our bikes blogger Duncan Bishop has given his own take on the news.
Good lap for Spies, who leads the way after two splits. He loses ground in sector three - and clocks 1:46.542. fourth place.
Valentino Rossi has put in a slightly improved performance this weekend - he was third in FP2. Is he starting to turn things around just as he prepares to leave Ducati?
Lorenzo goes fastest with a 1:46.134 - Britain's Cal Crutchlow is third on the Tech3 Yamaha.
Crash! Bad news for Stefan Bradl, who loses the back end and slides down the road. He's fine, and the bike looks basically OK - but this will seriously disrupt his qualifying effort.
Just as a reference, Pedrosa clocked the fastest lap of the weekend earlier today when he did 1:45.792 in final practice.
Alvaro Bautista leads the way in the early stages - he has clocked a 1:46.568. Lorenzo second, Stefan Bradl third though of course these times are largely academic.
Some good news for Britain in Moto3 qualifying, which finished about 20 minutes ago - Danny Kent has claimed the first pole position of his career.
As I mentioned, Pedrosa has been the fastest man so far - he topped the timesheets in the final free practice session earlier.
Green flags, and off we go! The riders filter out on to the circuit. The weather is absolutely perfect - 22C, and clear blue skies.
Dani Pedrosa has set the pace so far this weekend and he needs a win to keep up the pressure on points leader Jorge Lorenzo - he trails by 33 points with four races remaining. Problem is, Lorenzo only has one DNF all season, and has finished first or second in every other race!
Welcome to live coverage of MotoGP qualifying on a beautiful afternoon at Motegi in Japan!