Lorenzo authority rolls on with Assen pole

Jorge Lorenzo continued to tighten the grip he is developing on proceedings at the TIM TT Assen by taking pole position for Saturday’s race, having topped both practice sessions in the lead up to qualifying. The Fiat Yamaha rider secured his second consecutive pole with a best lap of 1’34.515, taking over two-tenths off his best time from the two free sessions.

Randy de Puniet became the second rider of the weekend to get under 1’35” when he briefly took the lead in the session with 20 minutes remaining, and the LCR Honda rider will start from second position on the grid for the second straight race after a fantastic session left him 0.282s off Lorenzo’s pace.

Ducati Team rider Casey Stoner put in a last lap of 1’34.803 – just six-thousandths behind De Puniet – to ensure he will start his bid for a first podium of the season from the front row. The Australian was followed by rookie Ben Spies as the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider continued to impress, setting the fourth fastest time to ensure he will start from the second row after his first podium finish last time out.

Joining the American in taking over half a second off his best time of the weekend was Nicky Hayden, as the Ducati Team man registered the fifth best time and was the final rider under 1’35”. Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso will complete the second row after timing in at just 0.016s further back. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa was seventh in the order and will start from the third row.

Completing the top ten for the session were Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing).

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) was absent after his earlier crash in the second practice session, when a highside resulted in a dislocated shoulder that prevented his participation in this afternoon’s qualifying, and most likely tomorrow’s race as well.