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De Angelis Best Honda Qualifier - Dogged Dani 12th
Issued 16th August 2008
 Casey Stoner (Ducati) qualified on pole for the sixth successive time here at a rain-lashed Brno with his main title rival Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) alongside him as second fastest man and a resurgent John Hopkins (Kawasaki) completing the front row.
Fastest Honda man here Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) qualified in fifth spot for a second row start, his best effort of the season so far.
And with Dani's team-mate Hayden missing through injury De Angelis will be depended on to show strongly in the race.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V), still recovering from injuries sustained in his crash at the German Grand Prix, managed a resolute 12th place for a fourth row start.
Ordinarily this would be a massive handicap but such has been Dani's lightning form off the lights that he still has the capability to spring a surprise from deep on the grid.
His hand injury is still a concern and the Spanish title contender was anxious not to worsen the fractured left wrist and index finger by falling in the vile conditions that prevailed for the decisive hour of MotoGP qualifying.
 It rained for the free practice session this morning and then again this afternoon, getting heavier as the session progressed, for the timed hour. Most riders, with the notable exception of Anthony West (Kawasaki), put in their best times early in the session.
It was West who deprived Randy De Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) of a second row start when he fired in his best lap of 2m 14.064s in the ebbing seconds of the stint to snatch sixth. And with his team-mate Hopkins on the front row this a timely revival for the green team.
De Puniet fell trying to better his time with 40 minutes of the session to go and he wasn't the only faller in the treacherous conditions, Suzuki man Loris Capirossi went down early on and Yamaha rider James Toseland tumbled with 25 minutes left.
This was something of a lacklustre session, with nothing of the recent last gasp duels for supremacy in the dying seconds of the hour. The conditions saw to that, many riders sat forlornly in their pit garages as conditions worsened, knowing any efforts to improve times would be futile with so much standing water on track.
With ten minutes of the session remaining, the time when the qualifying tyre battle is usually at its height, the grid order was just as it had been at the halfway point of the hour. It was only the determined West that provided any light in the gloom.
Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) qualified eighth for a second row getaway while Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda RC212V) will be disappointed with his 14th place start after his front row performance recently in Germany.
Conditions are likely to be better tomorrow with overcast skies yet no rain forecast.
250cc
Series points leader Marco Simoncelli (Gilera) took his second consecutive pole in wet conditions ahead of front row qualifiers Alex Debon, Hector Barbera and Mattia Pasini (all Aprilia).
Second fastest Debon was 0.766 seconds shy of Simoncelli's 2m 10.723s lap.
Yuki Takahashi (JiR Scot Honda RS250RW) qualified eighth and Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT SAG RS250RW) managed 20th place on the grid.
Takahashi is 3.221 seconds adrift of the pole time, Wilairot just over seven seconds short.
125cc
With heavy rain throughout the session no rider improved on his time from yesterday's first qualifying session and so the order was Gabor Talmacsi on pole with a 2m 09.870s lap followed by Nicolas Terol second fastest, with Andrea Iannone third and Bradley Smith completing the front row (all Aprilia).
Series points leader Mike Di Meglio (Derbi) qualified fifth fastest and heads row two while Honda rookie Louis Rossi (FFM Racing Honda RS125R) managed a best time of 2m 16.321s to qualify 37th.
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