World championship leader Casey Stoner secured his third
consecutive pole position with the fastest lap in qualifying for the
Czech Republic Grand Prix. The young Ducati rider is setting
himself for his final assault on the MotoGP title and with seven
race remaining Stoner leads main rival Valentino Rossi by
44 points.
Rossi faces a taxing time in this 22-lap race having qualified sixth
fastest, more 0.7s behind Stoner’s flying Ducati.
While Stoner continues his fast form it is Rossi who is under
pressure, not only in the points chase but also with his off-track
affairs. The five-time world champion is under investigation by
the Italian tax authorities who claim he owes millions of dollars
from his race earnings since 2000.
Joining Stoner on the front row here are the factory Repsol Honda
riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa, second and third
respectively. This will be Hayden’s first front row start of what has
so far been a disappointing season, as he has been unable to
mount a strong defense of his 2006 world crown. Another
American, Suzuki rider John Hopkins, qualified fourth.
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