PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia, 18 October 2003 — Champion Valentino Rossi grabbed provisional pole with a dramatic flying lap in the closing seconds of the first qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix yesterday.
The 24-year-old Italian, aboard his Honda bike, shrugged off ongoing speculation of a possible switch to rivals Yamaha or Ducati next year to set a time of one minute 30.631 seconds.
Rossi clinched his third consecutive world title in the premier class, now MotoGP, with victory in last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
The flamboyant Rossi finished fastest ahead of two Ducati riders, Italy’s Loris Capirossi nine-hundredths of a second behind on 1:30.721 and Australia’s former superbike world champion Troy Bayliss on 1:30.834 at the circuit near Melbourne.
Spain’s Derbi rider Jorge Lorenzo, who is 14th in the 125cc standings, recorded the fastest time in yesterday’s first qualifying after Spanish world champion Daniel Pedrosa, 18, crashed in morning practice and suffered fractures to both ankles.
