Simoncelli breaks 1´24 barrier for 250cc Sachsenring pole

Marco Simoncelli shed nearly half a second from his Friday provisional pole time to confirm the top spot for the 250cc Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Metis Gilera man broke the pole position record for the Sachsenring circuit with an amazing lap, stopping the clock at 1´23.953. In doing so he became the first 250cc rider ever to breach the 1´24 mark at the German track.

Over six-tenths of a second was the difference between Simoncelli´s time and that of second placed rider Julian Simon, with the Repsol KTM Spaniard moving up to the front row with his Saturday afternoon performance. Simon´s attempts at taking pole position were hit by a crash late in the session.

Hector Barbera maintained a spot on the front line for the quarter-litre race, with clear track in front of him for a fifth consecutive Grand Prix. The Team Toth Aprilia rider left it late to improve upon his Friday hot lap, which would have also been enough for a front row start.

In the final seconds of the qualifying run, World Championship leader Mika Kallio was bowled off track by Ratthapark Wilairot. The Thai rider lost grip when Kallio was passing him on the outside, catching the back of the Finn´s Red Bull KTM bike and sending him into the gravel. Kallio had already confirmed his fourth place on the front row at the time of the incident.

Alvaro Bautista will start from outside the top four for the first time this season, although he will be content to have moved up from a provisional eleventh on the grid. The Spaniard was the winner of the most recent Grand Prix at Assen.

Alex Debon, Fabrizio Lai and Roberto Locatelli complete the second row, under a second slower than Simoncelli and showing that a tough, tight race can be expected when the lights go out on Sunday.