MotoGP – Shanghai QP1 – What a pole for Edwards, front row with Rossi and Stoner

Four Grands Prix, one confirmation: Qualifying represents the most exciting moment of the weekend. Today's session is no exception, with the last 25 minutes spent taking a breather, including improvised rodeos, slides of every kind and type, reckless adventures and record times. To this last entry we place the name of Colin Edwards, poleman for the third time in his career in MotoGP thanks to the amazing 1'58"139, achieved in the final with a truly excellent lap. The "Texas Tornado", which had taken home 15 poles in Superbike, is back in front of everyone after managing to do so last year at Le Mans and Donington Park. Other times, another life: at the time a Yamaha official, today "turned over" to the Tech 3 team. It was supposed to be a pre-retirement season before returning to racing in America in the revolutionary new "Daytona Superbike" championship, Edwards doesn't think so : he wants to remain in the top class of motorcycling, he demonstrated it today with an incredible performance. An exemplary ride with the yellow-blue Yamaha YZR M1 on Michelin tyres, a combination always on pole this year counting the three harpoons from Losail to Estoril by Jorge Lorenzo. Colin Edwards laughs and smiles, the same state of mind as Hervè Poncharal, owner of Team Tech 3 who has suffered hell in recent years with the Dunlops and today can rejoice thanks to the double Superbike world champion.

Edwards demonstrates Yamaha's competitiveness, also confirmed by Valentino Rossi's second place, first among the Bridgestones and 355 thousandths behind his friend and former teammate. Rossi has a convincing pace on his side, also shown by Casey Stoner, third to close the front row, and Daniel Pedrosa, perhaps the fastest with race tires in this session, always under 2'00, not able to repeat himself with the Michelin qualifications also thanks to a heavy mistake in the first attempt. Practically the same thing happened to Jorge Lorenzo, but his daily life in Shanghai is a completely different life: the Majorcan managed to obtain a fourth place that left everyone with their eyes wide open, considering the physical state and the risks involved It is taken. First a "rodeo" that demonstrates that electronics is not the panacea for all ills; in the second attempt a dangerous straight, only to return to the pits, close the visor and start again towards an anthology second row.

Jorge Lorenzo deserves applause, to be shared with Loris Capirossi, capable of bringing the Suzuki to sixth position on the grid ahead of James Toseland (who seems to have finally learned the secrets of the Shanghai track) and teammate Vermeulen. Followed by a trio of riders who crashed in their second attempt with the "chewing gum": De Puniet, Hayden (what a rush to get the second bike in the pits!) and Andrea Dovizioso, who lost the front right in the opening minutes of the contention. Falls also for Nakano and Hopkins, preceded on the grid by Marco Melandri whose progress was minimal in qualifying, evident in the race projection, where he was even very close to Casey Stoner around mid-session with run-in tyres. Tomorrow an important race for everyone, spectacular on paper, unpredictable considering the weather conditions. Rain expected for a percentage of 60 to 80%, enough to cancel two days of testing and references on the pace capable of predicting the "usual" three-way battle, with Stoner, Rossi and Pedrosa as protagonists.

Alessio Piana