PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia, 19 October 2003 — MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi underlined his dominance in the sport by taking pole position for today’s Australian Grand Prix in a track record time.
The flamboyant Italian broke his own Phillip Island mark with a time of one minute 30.068 seconds on his Honda around the 4.448 km circuit in hot and sunny conditions yesterday.
Italy’s Ducati rider Loris Capirossi was almost half a second behind in 1:30.496 with Spain’s Honda rider Sete Gibernau third in 1:30.676.
Australia’s Troy Bayliss on a Ducati completed the front row in 1:30.683.
Rossi, 24, clinched his third consecutive world title in the premier class, now MotoGP, with victory in last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix.“I feel very confident with the bike,” said Rossi, who has claimed eight pole positions this year. ”
Spain’s Aprilia rider Toni Elias, who has won three of the last four 250cc races, claimed his fifth consecutive pole in his final lap of 1:33.771 yesterday. San Marino’s Aprilia rider Manuel Poggiali leads the standings but qualified in seventh place.
Poggiali, 20, could become the second-youngest 250cc world champion if he can finish ahead of Elias and Italy’s Robert Rolfo and not be outscored by more than 18 points by France’s Randy De Puniet today.
Poggiali, the 2001 125cc champion, is on 226 points, 25 ahead of Elias and Rolfo with De Puniet on 183.
Italy’s Aprilia rider Stefano Perugini capitalized on the absence of newly crowned 125cc world champion Daniel Pedrosa to take pole position in the closing minutes of yesterday’s final qualifying session.
Perugini, who is leading the race for runner-up on 159 points behind Spain’s Honda rider Pedrosa on 223, clinched pole with a lap time of 1:37.342. San Marino’s Aprilia rider Alex De Angelis, who is third in the standings on 157 points, qualified second in 1:37.455.
