The last qualifying session of the year is in the bag, as the gorgeous sunshine of Valencia, Spain bore down on the MotoGP paddock. With the Championship sealed up, all eyes were not on this season, but the next. With more than a few MotoGP riders finding their way into new venues for 2010, we bid them goodbye, yet also welcome the new talent that’s pouring into the premiere class next year. Qualifying results after the jump.
Casey Stoner continues to silence his critics, taking his second pole position since his return to MotoGP racing. The Australian lead the qualifying session pretty much all the way through, except for a brief moment when Jorge Lorenzo challenged him. Lapping a quarter of a second ahead of the field, Stoner will be the man to beat Sunday.
Despite his efforts, Lorenzo could not answer back to Stoner, and even slipped in the standings. He will start from the third position, with Dani Pedrosa in front of him. Rossi will start from the second row, in the 4th position. The Doctor has always struggled at Valencia, despite holding the best lap-record at the Spanish track.
Joining Rossi on the second row are Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden, respectively. The third musketeer American on the grid is wildcard Ben Spies, who will start from the 9th position, ahead of James Toseland (14th).
Results from Qualifying at the Malaysian GP at Sepang, Malaysia:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Diff | Diff. to Prev. |
| 1 | 27 | Casey STONER | DUCATI | 1’32.256 | – | – |
| 2 | 3 | Dani PEDROSA | HONDA | 1’32.519 | 0.263 | 0.263 |
| 3 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | YAMAHA | 1’32.537 | 0.281 | 0.018 |
| 4 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | YAMAHA | 1’32.922 | 0.666 | 0.385 |
| 5 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | YAMAHA | 1’33.085 | 0.829 | 0.163 |
| 6 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | DUCATI | 1’33.154 | 0.898 | 0.069 |
| 7 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | HONDA | 1’33.391 | 1.135 | 0.237 |
| 8 | 24 | Toni ELIAS | HONDA | 1’33.475 | 1.219 | 0.084 |
| 9 | 11 | Ben SPIES | YAMAHA | 1’33.539 | 1.283 | 0.064 |
| 10 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | HONDA | 1’33.678 | 1.422 | 0.139 |
| 11 | 36 | Mika KALLIO | DUCATI | 1’33.809 | 1.553 | 0.131 |
| 12 | 15 | Alex DE ANGELIS | HONDA | 1’33.844 | 1.588 | 0.035 |
| 13 | 65 | Loris CAPIROSSI | SUZUKI | 1’34.097 | 1.841 | 0.253 |
| 14 | 52 | James TOSELAND | YAMAHA | 1’34.107 | 1.851 | 0.010 |
| 15 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI | KAWASAKI | 1’34.188 | 1.932 | 0.081 |
| 16 | 44 | Aleix ESPARGARO | DUCATI | 1’34.308 | 2.052 | 0.120 |
| 17 | 41 | Gabor TALMACSI | HONDA | 1’34.357 | 2.101 | 0.049 |
| 18 | 7 | Chris VERMEULEN | SUZUKI | 1’34.537 | 2.281 | 0.180 |
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