BERLIN, 15 July 2006 — Italian Marco Melandri made light of a fractured collarbone to steer his Honda to the fastest lap on the first practice day at the German Grand Prix yesterday.
Melandri has never been on pole in 53 starts but he broke the circuit record by more than half a second at the slow and twisty Sachsenring yesterday, beating Spain’s Dani Pedrosa to the top spot by three tenths of a second on the final lap.
The Italian, currently fourth in the MotoGP championship, was flown to hospital after a spectacular multiple rider pile-up at the first corner in Barcelona last month but returned to take third spot in the British Grand Prix on July 2. “My shoulder condition is getting better day by day,” Melandri said.
“On this track it’s pretty good because we turn mainly on the left and I have pain in the right side so I don’t push so much on my shoulder,” he added. Reigning champion Valentino Rossi was back in seventh spot.
In 250cc, Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo took provisional pole position for Sunday’s race on his Aprilia, just ahead of compatriot and fellow Aprilia rider Hector Barbera.
Italy’s Mattia Pasini was on provisional pole in the 125cc class ahead of Lukas Pesek of the Czech Republic.
