Misano MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa hails importance of pole

The Spaniard, currently 13 points off the lead of the championship, has now beaten Jorge Lorenzo in three of the last four qualifying sessions and the last two races.

While pole therefore gives him added momentum, he said it was also a bonus given the tight and twisty nature of the first half of Misano - qualities which have led to opening lap incidents in past editions of the race.

"It was an important front row because the first part [of the track] is so tight, so you need to get a good start and be in front," Pedrosa said.

"We did a good job I think, because we had to focus on settings, tyres, the bike, suspension, and also get a good lap. No times to rest as we had to test everything as well as finding some feeling for myself.

"After a strange weekend due to the weather conditions we remained focused to have a good qualifying session and be ready for tomorrow's race.

"We managed a good lap to take pole, [and] the setting on the bike is good so I hope to have a good race tomorrow."