Terol keeps momentum with pole position

Qualifying practice for the Grand Prix de France took place this afternoon with Nico Terol and Pol Espargaró continuing their battle for supremacy from the morning’s final free practice, Bradley Smith and Marc Márquez also joining the fun in a four-way scrap for pole position. The intense competition saw the current pole record of 1’43.918, set in 2008, smashed by two tenths as Bancaja Aspar rider Terol sealed the front spot on the grid for the first time in his Grand Prix career.

The Spaniard has been electrifying through the first three sectors of the Le Mans circuit all weekend but was suffering in the fourth and final split, a situation he managed to put right on his final two flying laps.

1st Nico Terol 1.43.719 (18 laps): “I have been wanting to set pole position for a while, it is something I wanted to get off my back. I’ve come close a few times so to finally do it feels good and it gives me a lot of confidence. The most important thing is obviously the race but I’m happy anyway. I made a strong start to the session and didn’t hold anything back. I had a few scary moments but I just kept pushing because I was so desperate to come out on top today. I am satisfied with the job we’ve done today and I feel ready for the race. Us Spanish guys are looking quick here again and it should be another nice race between us tomorrow, although I expect it to be tough because the top five or six are looking strong and none of us will be pulling punches. Mentally I feel ready and tomorrow I’ll be giving 100% from the first lap to the last. My objective is to win.”