Jorge Lorenzo said that his United States Grand Prix pole position had been hugely unexpected.
The Spaniard lay 0.3sec behind Casey Stoner's Ducati as he began his final flying lap with just over a minute of the session remaining, but stunned onlookers as he took his Yamaha to a fifth straight pole by just under 0.2sec. Afterward he said that he believed Stoner's time had been untouchable and that his own pace had been a surprise.
"I saw Casey was so quick, and I really didn't think I'd get it," said Lorenzo. "My first lap [on that set of tires] was a 1m21.2s, so the next lap I decided to really push and I got it [in 1m20.9s]."
Lorenzo attached little importance to his achievement at Laguna Seca, which made him the first Yamaha rider to take five poles in a row in grand prix racing's premier class since Max Biaggi on a YZR 500 in 2001.
"It's impressive for my team, but it's really not important," he added. "Of course it's a bit better for the race because the less positions you lose at the start the less you have to make up again later."