Pirro in pole at Valencia

The Moto2 session was packed full of stories with Stefan Bradl being crowned the 2011 World Champion and the Gresini Team’s Michele Pirro and Yuki Takahashi taking the top two spots on the grid. Viessmann Kiefer Racing’s Bradl set the fourth fastest time just before the rain flag came out, and with Marc Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) not riding in the session and not participating in the GP on Sunday, the German rider officially claimed the 2011 Moto2 Championship title. Gresini riders Pirro and Takahashi, riding with special liveries in tribute to Marco Simoncelli, took pole position and second spot on the grid respectively giving the team a fitting double front-row start in a weekend in which the late Simoncelli is being remembered by all in the paddock. The two were separated by just 0.009s, with Pirro setting the session leading lap of 1'37.067. Most of the field elected to sit out for the remainder of the session, which stayed as it was before rain soaked the track, with Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing) taking third position with a lap four-tenths behind Takahashi. Bradl in fourth was three-tenths off Kallio, with Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2) in fifth ahead of Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2). Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP), Xavier Simeon (Tech 3 B) and Mike di Meglio (Tech 3 Racing) comprise row three, with Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project) completing the top ten ahead of Aleix Espargaró (Pons HP 40) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing).