Marquez, who set a new lap record with his fastest qualifying lap, starts Sunday’s race 39 points ahead of his nearest contender with just four races remaining. The Spaniard’s time (2:00.011) saw him pip Valentino Rossi (2:00.336) and Cal Crutchlow (2:00.359), who will start in second and third place respectively.
Valentino Rossi looked to have stolen pole, but will start in second place. Marquez’s nearest title challenger, Jorge Lorenzo, had to settle for fourth place, whilst Dani Pedrosa, the man who was quickest in the opening two practice sessions, will have to make do with a disappointing fifth-place grid spot.
It was a dramatic finale to the qualifying session, with pole position changing hands four times in the final knockings. A sudden, but short, downpour at the start of Q2 meant for a drying race track and quickening times as the session wore on and conditions improved. As is often the case in these circumstances, timing and strategy became so crucial.
As the chequered flag dropped, Lorenzo had posted the quickest time. But, Crutchlow overtook him with a minute to spare.
(via @bleacherreport)
- [Crutchlow por delante de Bautista @1.53][Stake = 8uds]
- [Ganador: Marc Marquez @1.66][Stake = 5uds]
