SACHSENRING, Germany, 27 July 2003 — Italy’s Max Biaggi snatched pole position from Britain’s Jeremy McWilliams with a spectacular ride yesterday just three minutes before the end of the qualifying session for today’s German Grand Prix.
Biaggi, riding a Honda, lapped the Sachsenring course in one minute 23.734 seconds, a mere two-thousandths of a second ahead of McWilliams on a Proton KR in 1:23.736.
Loris Capirossi of Italy on a Ducati took third in 1:24.058 while defending MotoGP champion and compatriot Valentino Rossi, who took provisional pole on Friday, completed the first row in fourth on his Honda in 1:24.253.
“That was a very good lap,” said Biaggi, who also grabbed pole at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago in the closing seconds of qualifying and won the race despite finishing second — thanks to a 10-second penalty handed to Rossi.
“I’m quite satisfied,” Biaggi added. “With five or six minutes to go in qualifying we saw Jeremy was under 1:24 and were pretty sure he took some risks. I didn’t know if I could come close. I went out with soft tyres and it worked very well.”
McWilliams said the challenging tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit in undulating hills near the Czech border was ideal. He took full advantage of the extra manoeuvrability of his old two-stroke 500cc Proton KR.
“I love Sachsenring and have always loved it,” McWilliams said of the 3.67-km course that is the shortest in the championship. “Last year we were pretty close and I’m actually a little surprised.”
McWilliams’s team, run by former world champion Kenny Roberts, have been forced to use the old machines because of a shortage of engine parts for their new four-stroke bike.
Rossi, who has been battling a cold, said he was content to be on the front row for Sunday’s race and not all that disappointed, even though he had beaten Biaggi on Friday to take the provisional pole.
Rossi leads the championship with 167 points ahead of Spain’s Sete Gibernau, who was fifth on Saturday and has 133 points, and Biaggi in third with 130. Rossi is looking to earn his fourth win of the season in the ninth round of the 16 race series and last before three-week summer break.
