Lorenzo grabs pole at US Grand Prix, crashes

Jorge Lorenzo took pole position for Sunday's US Grand Prix, but ended the qualifying session with a spectacular spill on which he flipped over his handlebars and landed hard on the track.

Lorenzo, who took his fourth pole of the year with a fastest lap of one minute, 21.678 seconds, separated his right shoulder and bruised his right foot in the crash.

The Spaniard, who is in second place in the MotoGp championship standings, landed on his shoulder on the track and then slid headfirst about 30 metres in the sand. He was taken off the track by ambulance and said he was not sure if he would be able to ride on Sunday.

"The foot is very bad, I have a lot of pain. But my worry is the collarbone to change direction,'' Lorenzo said at a post-session news conference. "I'm quite disappointed, because I was very quick on this track. We will try tomorrow, and maybe I can do it."

The Fiat Yamaha team said Lorenzo's injuries will be reassessed Sunday morning to determine if he can race.

If Lorenzo is not able to ride, the first spot on the starting grid will go to MotoGp championship standings leader Valentino Rossi of Italy. Rossi, also with the Fiat Yamaha team, was second fastest Saturday with a best lap of 1:21.845 as the hour-long qualifying session ended.

Rossi, who captured his 100th career victory last week at the Dutch MotoGp, will be seeking his third straight win and fourth of the year.

Australian Casey Stoner was third fastest in qualifying with a lap of 1:21.910 on his Ducati on the 3.61-kilometre (2.243-mile) track. Stoner started from the pole last year at Laguna Seca, but finished second to Rossi in the race.

Stoner also had a scary crash on his final lap, flipping off his bike moments after Lorenzo's crash and landing on the track. He was driven back to his team's garage, and could be seen limping as he got off a cart. He said he hurt his shoulder and groin.

"I think we'll be alright for tomorrow," he said. "I got away very lucky, it hurt a heck of a lot at the time."

Lorenzo set the fastest qualifying time early in the session, then fell midway through qualifying. He ran back to the paddock as Stoner set a better time. Lorenzo returned to top Stoner's mark, but then crashed again as the session was winding down.

"He made two laps quite slowly and the rear tire was cold," crew chief Ramon Forcada said of the second crash, "so when he started riding fast he crashed."

Rossi will match a record Sunday when he makes his 158th consecutive grand prix start. Rossi, who has never missed a GP race since moving up to that class in 2000, will equal the record set by Alex Barros in 1992-2003.

"I hope Lorenzo and Stoner are OK for the race tomorrow, because it should be a great battle between the three of us," Rossi said.

The 250cc and 125cc categories have the weekend off.