Crutchlow and Dovizioso qualify in top six for Valencia season finale

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso will start the final round of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship in Valencia from the second row of the grid after both impressed in a record-breaking qualifying session this afternoon.

Crutchlow came close to scoring an eighth front row start in his fantastic second MotoGP season when a best lap of 1.31.512s put him in fourth position. The 27-year-old was just 0.084s away from the top three. The British rider was a second faster than Casey Stoner's 2008 lap record, with new asphalt helping lap times tumble in th e best conditions of the weekend so far.

This afternoon's session was the first to take place on a full dry track all weekend, giving Crutchlow and Dovizioso their first opportunity to properly assess improved grip levels on new asphalt at the Ricardo Tormo track.

Dovizioso will start from inside the top six for the 11th race of a campaign in which the Italian has become the most successful rider in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team's distinguished MotoGP history. Dovizioso will bid for a seventh podium in tomorrow's race after a best lap of 1.31.795s secured him sixth place on the grid. Tomorrow's race will be Dovizioso's farewell appearance for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and he is determined to end an outstanding 2012 campaign on a high.

Cal Crutchlow 4th "It was another tough day with the weather because we pretty much lost another session this morning. The pace this afternoon was incredible considering it was the first dry session of the weekend and I was able to lap a second inside of the lap record. There is obviously good grip from the new surface but for me it is still very bumpy and I think even worse than last year. I'm pretty disappointed really not to be on the front row. I felt I should have been in the top three but I made a mistake and it was my fault. At least I was the fastest non-factory rider and I am pleased about that. It has been a brilliant second season for me and I really want to finish it strongly tomorrow with a good result. I'll certainly be giving it my maximum effort as always before we focus on 2013 with the test next week."

Andrea Dovizioso 6th "This afternoon was the first dry session of the weekend so far and in all honesty I struggled quite a lot with the wind. It is always difficult to set the bike up in those conditions, so I am reasonably happy to be on the second row and inside the top six again. I'm sure I could have been a little bit faster right at the end because on my fastest lap I came across Espargaro at the final corner and I lost a little bit of time. I am not sure what to expect tomorrow but it is going to very difficult to be in the battle for the podium. The top three are really fast but it looks like it could be a good battle for fourth. It is my last race for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and I am really determined to finish our great relationship with a positive result. It has been a fantastic experience and I want to get a good result to thank all my crew for their hard work and commitment this season."

Yamaha Racing