SACHSENRING, Germany, 26 July 2003 — MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi edged out archrival Max Biaggi yesterday to take the provisional pole position for tomorrow’s German Grand Prix. The Italian lapped in one minute 24.335 seconds in a typically late surge to just squeeze ahead of his compatriot and fellow Honda rider Biaggi, who was second in 1:24.370.
Rossi, who set the fastest time on his last lap of the session, was not completely satisfied with the performance of his bike on a track he dislikes. By contrast Biaggi, who won the last round in Britain after Rossi received a 10-second penalty an hour and a half after the race, was delighted with his time. Rossi leads the championship with 167 points ahead of Spain’s Sete Gibernau (133) and Biaggi (130). Gibernau could only manage sixth fastest on his Honda. In third place was Briton Jeremy McWilliams, who took full advantage of the extra maneuverability of his old two-stroke 500cc Proton KR on the short, tight Sachsenring track to record a time of 1:24.412.
