MotoGP
Qatari GP: Bridgestone qualifying report
Stoner takes first pole position of 2010, faster than Losail lap record Casey Stoner continued his dominant form in Qatar by qualifying on pole for tomorrow's race, beating his existing race lap record from 2008 and his pole time from last year.
Published: Apr 11, 2010, 4:30 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Stoner takes first pole position of 2010, faster than Losail lap record
Casey Stoner continued his dominant form in Qatar by qualifying on pole for tomorrow's race, beating his existing race lap record from 2008 and his pole time from last year. His fastest lap came at the end of the session on the harder option front slick and the softer rear.
His second best effort, set on the harder option rear, was only 0.02seconds slower and would still have been good enough for pole, demonstrating the good overlap of performance between the medium and hard compound rear Bridgestone slicks.
Most riders started the hour-long session on the harder option front and rear, the combination that will be most favourable for the race for their improved durability and stability under braking. Almost every rider ultimately went faster on the softer rear tyre though, as expected from short qualifying runs. Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa recorded his best on the harder option rear slick though, on the last lap of the session.
The softer option rear tyre provided good traction and therefore laptimes over a small number of laps, but the track temperature was sufficiently high to mean that the harder option provided more durability and consistency over a longer distance and this is why it will be favoured for tomorrow's 22 lap race.
Tohru Ubukata - Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
"We can see by comparing the times of Casey during the session that the performance of the medium and hard compound slicks is very similar, and this shows me that we have succeeded in developing a new medium compound rear tyre for this year with an even wider temperature operating range.
"Overall the times were good and I am happy with the performance ofthe compound options we have chosen for Qatar. Both are working well and the laptimes are similar on both specs, but clearly the harder front and rear slicks will be favoured for the race because they deliver superior durability which is an important consideration at this circuit. We saw in qualifying that the softer rear tyre was good for a few laps, but then the performance was reduced by the heat and abrasion, so over a race distance the harder option will be faster."
-source: bridgestone
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article M2: Qatari GP: JiR qualifying report
Next article M2: Qatari GP: Interwetten Honda qualifying report
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Dani Pedrosa
MotoGP to stage demo at F1 United States Grand Prix
MotoGP
MotoGP
MotoGP to stage demo at F1 United States Grand Prix
Why Dani Pedrosa won't replace Maverick Vinales at Le Mans, despite his form
MotoGP
MotoGP
French GP
Why Dani Pedrosa won't replace Maverick Vinales at Le Mans, despite his form
Dani Pedrosa reveals the ‘crazy’ training that helped him master wet MotoGP races
MotoGP
MotoGP
Brazil GP
Dani Pedrosa reveals the ‘crazy’ training that helped him master wet MotoGP races
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 3 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
3 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe