MotoGP – Motegi QP1 – Capirossi pole, Italian front row

At the Twin Ring in Motegi there is no expected typhoon Yagi, the sun takes its place up there in the sky, illuminating the only memory of the storm, the red lightning bolt of Loris Capirossi's Ducati Desmosedici #65. In a test session where everyone mounted time tires in advance (3 sets available for both Bridgestone and Michelin tyres), the Ducatista swept away any possibility of a battle, proposing his GP24 in a state of supernatural: 6'1"45, a truly incredible, crazy time. However, he is not the only one to beat the 724'1 mark, considering that Valentino Rossi, after a controversial hour of testing, also managed to get 46 thousandths closer to the Capirossinian time trial, effectively proposing his M247 to the success. The Italian celebration, however, does not end here: Capirossi, Rossi and Melandri, third, best Honda on the track owned by the parent company.

It's a dream day for our motorcycling, but above all an important Saturday from a race and championship perspective. On the pace, Capirossi, Rossi, Edwards and Stoner showed a pace of 1'47 high - 1'48 low in these two days, reached at the end by a Daniel Pedrosa who was however not constant in his performance and dropped back in the standings (only in third row with the ninth time). It will be a race of unknowns, because Melandri starts in front but doesn't have the pace, Nakano is a good fourth ahead of Gibernau and Elias in the throes of surprises. Then there is Nicky Hayden, seventh, never objectively fast, but impossible to give up on him.

Rossi said it: “It will be a great battle on Sunday”. So it will be, among many unknowns, a look at the sky, a thought turned to the ranking. As for the rest, we'll see.

Alessio Piana