Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith progressed to Saturday's Suzuka 8 Hours pole shootout despite a big Friday accident for the Spaniard, while retired double MotoGP champion Casey Stoner was quickest of the Hondas. Unlike in Thursday practice - when the #21 Factory Yamaha of Espargaro, Smith and Katsuyuki Nakasuga set the pace - each rider had their own pair of track sessions for Friday qualifying. With the teams already divided into an A and B Group that meant a total of six (20-minute) qualifying sessions to decide the teams eligible for Saturday's Top 10 Trial. Qualifying began perfectly for Yamaha as Nakasuga and Espargaro led their respective first sessions. But Smith was up against...
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