Czech Republic MotoGP qualifying
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Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and we got to exist in a time to see Marc Marquez put in that lap for pole position. We are pretty lucky.
That has tied Marquez with Mick Doohan for most premier class poles with 58.
Dovizioso was fourth in that session, with Espargaro, Rins, Rossi, Petrucci, Vinales, Quartararo, Crutchlow and Morbidelli completing the top 12.
Marquez takes pole from Miller despite that crash, while Johann Zarco bags KTM's first MotoGP front row start with third.
Crash
Miller has crashed at Turn 14, on the slicks where the rain is heaviest.
Stopwatch
Marquez is on pole at Brno! It's a 2m02.723s.
Checkered flag
Chequered flag is out,
Marquez is on another quick one.
The rain is coming down harder now. Marquez has timed this to absolute perfection. Miller goes second on slicks.
Stopwatch
Marquez takes pole with a 2m04.165s on slick tyres!
Marquez is almost a second up in sector 2!
Marquez is up in sector one, but there are spits of rain now.
Dovizioso up to second. Zarco holds provisional pole with just over two minutes to go.
Marquez was 2.4s down after his first slick lap.
Dovizioso is also not on slicks, and is only 0.103s down after sector one. He's fastest in sector 2.
Marquez is 1.2s down in sector one. Vinales is going out on a slick.
Yamaha haven't put a slick on Rossi's bike. He's back out on a rain tyre.
Everyone else is heading out now on slicks. But there is rain in the air.
Rins and Miller are now out on slicks.
Marquez is going out on a soft slick rear.
Marquez returns the favour to Rins at the penultimate turn as they dive into pitlane, and now they are nudging each other in the pits!
Close between Rins and Marquez there at Turn 6. Marquez is only seventh currently.
Not surprising to see the KTM's so fast straight away. They know what the track is like.
Stopwatch
Miller betters it straight away, followed by Espargaro, before Zarco batters them with a 2m05.351s.
Stopwatch
Vinales sets the pace with a 2m06.626s.
Interestingly, Dovizioso, Rossi and Quartararo have gone out on soft wet rears. It was the medium tyres which won the day on Q1 in these half and half conditions.
Green flag
Q2 is GO!
I'm afraid to say, the fight for pole could be a little one-sided. Marquez is stunning in these kind of changeable conditions. Expect him and Miller to be the first ones to venture out on slicks.
Just going back to Zarco, whatever happens now, he will register his best qualifying result of the 2019 season. His previous best is a 14th, which came at Le Mans.
So, it's Zarco and Espargaro advancing to Q2. They will join:
Quartararo
Marquez
Vinales
Dovizioso
Petrucci
Rossi
Miller
Crutchlow
Morbidelli
Rins
Quartararo
Marquez
Vinales
Dovizioso
Petrucci
Rossi
Miller
Crutchlow
Morbidelli
Rins
Round of applause from Suzuki as Guintoli returns to pitlane. Richly deserved, as that was a fine performance by the test rider in just his second appearance of the season.
Nakagami misses out in the end and will start 13th. Bagnaia, Guintoli, Oliveira, Bradl, A.Espargaro, Mir, Abraham, Syahrin, Rabat and Iannone follow.
Stopwatch
Zarco goes fastest with a 2m05.033s. He is into Q2 for the first time this season, and will be joined by team-mate Espargaro.
Checkered flag
Bagnaia third, just misses out by 0.020s.
Stopwatch
P.Espargaro goes top with a 2m05.053s, Nakagami second.
Guintoli just misses out in the end in fourth. He'll get one more go at this.
Zarco back up to second with a 2m05.481s. He's rolled out of this lap, but he'll not want to come back in as track conditions are improving all the time. It'll be a case of last across the line has the best chance of improving I suspect.
Bagnaia goes second with just under four minutes to go.
By: Jake Boxall-Legge
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