Solving traction control problem key to pole for Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo maintained his 100% front-row qualifying record for the 2009 season with another pole position at his home track on Saturday, outpacing team-mate Valentino Rossi by just 0.013 seconds - thanks to a traction control tweak.

Lorenzo did battle with Rossi, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso in the final minutes and with his Italian team-mate on provisional pole with seconds to go Lorenzo laid down a 1’41.974s time - to snatch the top spot after some adjustments to his electronics set-up just before his hot lap.

“I’m happy with this pole position because we had some problems with the soft tyre, we had too much traction control, so I didn’t have enough power,” Lorenzo explained. “Then when I had my last opportunity for a fast lap we went down to just a little bit of traction control and I was able to go faster.”

Asked about his prospects for a third win of the season, the 22 year-old stated, “It is going to be a very difficult race for everyone and I am expecting a very good fight with Valentino, who has a very strong pace. It looks like Stoner and Dovizioso will be there too so I hope it’s an exciting race for the fans. I have a good rhythm here and I feel very comfortable on the bike so I am just going to stay focused and think about having a great race.”