MotoGP

 

The quickfire MotoGP™ Q2 session saw Jorge Lorenzo take pole at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with Andrea Iannone and Valentino Rossi also securing front row slots.

At a track where he has a phenomenal record – with three wins in his last three visits – Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) sped around the Misano layout with a 1’33.238 lap time to grab his first pole since Motegi 2013.

Just 0.051s behind Lorenzo, Iannone (Pramac Racing) matched his best ever MotoGP™ qualifying result, despite a fall on Friday which saw him take a heavy ankle knock.

Completing the front row at his home track, nine time World Champion Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) qualified in third – his best grid result since he was also third in Australia last season.

Meanwhile, for the first time this season World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) qualified off the front row, lapping 0.122s down on Lorenzo’s pole time in fourth place.

On the other side of the Repsol Honda garage Dani Pedrosa slotted his RC213V into fifth spot on the grid, with a time just 0.058s slower than that of Marquez.

A further 0.021s margin behind Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) completed the second row.

The third row of the grid for Sunday’s round 13 contest will comprise brothers Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) and Englishman Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3).

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) heads row four in tenth following a crash in the session which he escaped unharmed. The German had made it through from Q1 along with Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) who qualified 11th, just in front of Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini).

 

Moto2

 

In Moto2™ QP at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, Mika Kallio took pole, with Tito Rabat and Tom Luthi also on the front row.

Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team) produced a 1’38.043 best time around the 4.226km Misano track to secure his third pole position start of the year.

Trailing him by just 0.067s his teammate and the Moto2™ World Championship leader Rabat made it a Marc VDS Racing Team one-two on the grid for Sunday’s round 13 race.

Completing the front row in third place Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) lapped just four thousandths of a second behind Rabat.

Maverick Viñales (Paginas Amarillas HP 40), Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) and Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) will line up on row two.

Behind that trio, it is Ricard Cardus (Tech 3), Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Randy Krummenacher (Octo IodaRacing Team) on the third row, with Axel Pons (AGR Team) in tenth.

Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Krummenacher both fell in the final minutes of Qualifying, the two riders were unhurt and start 14th and ninth respectively.

 

Moto3

 

In the Moto3™ QP at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini on Saturday afternoon Jack Miller took pole, with Niklas Ajo and Alex Rins set to join him on the front row.

Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took a seventh pole of the season with a 1’42.974 lap time which put him just 0.004s ahead of his nearest rival Ajo (Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo).

Miller aims to strike back in the title fight this weekend having been off the podium at the last two rounds and the pole position start will give him added confidence ahead of Sunday’s round 13 race.

Behind Miller and Ajo on the front row is Silverstone race winner Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0), who was just 0.038s adrift of Miller.

Jorge Navarro (Marc VDS) and Efren Vazquez (SAXOPRINT-RTG) both crashed in the final ten minutes of Qualifying, but were able to rejoin. Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Niccolo Antonelli (Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3) also crashed and were unable to improve their times.

Marquez nonetheless ended up fourth, with Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra Racing) and Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo) also joining him on row two.

Antonelli was seventh, ahead of Isaac Viñales (Calvo Team) and Vazquez on the third row, whilst Brad Binder (Ambrogio Racing) completed the top ten.

Things did not go to plan for the likes of Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Enea Bastianini (Junior Team Go&FUN Moto3), who will start their home race 11th and 17th respectively.

 

Source: motogp.com