MotoGP Jerez: Valentino Rossi takes pole position

The Italian set his time of 1m38.736s after the chequered flag had been shown, jumping up from third place.

With pole accompanying front-row starts in Argentina and Austin, it is the first time since 2009 that Rossi has qualified on the front row of the grid for three consecutive MotoGP races.

Before his final lap, Rossi was 0.507 seconds behind, but he found six tenths to beat his Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo to pole - his first since last year's Assen race - by 0.102s.

For most of the decisive 15 minutes, it had been Lorenzo and Marquez contesting top spot.

Lorenzo set the early pace with a 1m39.405s, before he was displaced by Marquez, who set a 1m39.064s.

With two-and-a-half minutes remaining, Lorenzo became the first rider to break the 1m39s barrier with a time of 1m38.858s and while Marquez did the same shortly afterwards with a 1m38.891s, neither could deny Rossi.

Andrea Dovizioso will start fourth for Ducati, ahead of Suzuki pair Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro.

Marquez's Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa wound up seventh, sharing the third row of the grid with Pol Espargaro and Hector Barbera.

Cal Crutchlow and Loris Baz advanced from Q1 to Q2, finishing 10th and 12th, split by the factory Ducati of Andrea Iannone.

Aprilia had a promising showing in the first phase of qualifying, with Alvaro Bautista narrowly missing out on a place in Q2, set to start in 13th place, one spot ahead of Bradley Smith.

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