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General

Misano MotoGP qualifying

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KTM gets Espargaro's bike going and he heads out - though he's lost the tow of Vinales, who he followed out of into pitlane.
Crash
Espargaro has stalled the bike at the end of pitlane.
Green flag
The fight for pole is GO!
Information
The riders battling for pole will be:
Quartararo
Vinales
Pol Espargaro
Marquez
Morbidelli
Nakagami
Rossi
Rins
Pirro
Dovizioso
Zarco
Mir
Ducati's struggles this weekend are down to the low-grip nature of the track, as it's meant Ducati riders have been unable to utilise the bike's excellent acceleration and braking stability. Don't expect much from last year's Misano winner Dovizioso in the coming Q2.
This is just the second time Zarco has made it into Q2 this season, and the first time he's done so in the dry. Test rider Dani Pedrosa has been doing a lot of development work lately - praised by Espargaro earlier this weekend - and it is clearly paying dividends.
Aleix Espargaro is 15th on the grid ahead of Miller, Petrucci, Lorenzo, Oliveira, Syahrin, Abraham, Rabat and Iannone, who did not set a time in the end.
Zarco and Mir secure progression into Q2. Bagnaia comes up just 0.003s short in third ahead of Crutchlow, who was just 0.031s outside of a Q2 place.
Checkered flag
Bagnaia was so close to Q2. He's third and has one more lap. Meanwhile, Petrucci is only 17th on the grid at present.
Crutchlow was second briefly, but is back to third as a result of Zarco's lap. Espargaro just a few hundredths outside of Q2 in fourth.
Stopwatch
Zarco back on top with a 1m33.147s.
Petrucci across the line and stays third. It was PB.
Completely scrap what I've just said, because everyone is on really quick laps!
In saying that, Petrucci and Zarco are on really excellent efforts. As is Mir.
Lorenzo moves up to sixth from ninth, Espargaro fifth. So they lost a bit in the final sector. No big improvements coming.
Lorenzo and Espargaro are on good laps here.
Grip at Misano this time of year is generally pretty poor, but Michelin has expressed a surprise at the fact it hasn't improve much as rubber has gone down. Riders have been very critical of the surface, so expect a few more tumbles as they push to extract more laptime.
Riders start to head back out on track, Soft rear tyres all round.
All goes (relatively) quiet as the riders and teams prepare for a final push to get into Q2.
Mir's time is impressive, given he's been absent since August's Brno race due to a lung injury he picked up in a massive crash during the post-Czech GP test. He made a return to action at the recent Misano test.
Information
Aprilia's Iannone has been taken to the medical centre for checks after a crash in FP4. He's had three already this weekend, and hurt an old wrist injury on Friday. Unlikely we'll see him contest Q1.
Stopwatch
Mir and Miller annex the top of the timesheets with a 1m33.485s, Petrucci up to fifth.
Espargaro back up to second, though Zarco still holds a two-tenth advantage at present.
Petrucci's first lap is a shocker. He's only 10th on the works Ducati.
Stopwatch
Zarco goes top now with a 1m33.637s.
Stopwatch
Miller now takes over on the Pramac Ducati with a 1m33.833s ahead of Suzuki's Mir.
Stopwatch
Crutchlow makes a mistake at Turn 1 and aborts his first flier. Aleix Espargaro sets the pace with a 1m34.087s.
Information
Watch out for Zarco. He may be having a tough time on that KTM, but he was only 0.033s outside of an automatic Q2 place at the end of FP3. However, Zarco will have to drop three places wherever he qualifies for wiping out Tech3's Oliveira at Silverstone.
LCR's Crutchlow is having a nightmare weekend. He said on Friday he is "absolutely nowhere", and has no idea why given low-grip tracks tend to suit him and the Honda more. Don't count him out for a Q2 place, though.
Green flag
Q1 is GO!
Information
Q1 is just moments away, so here are your runners:
Zarco
Oliveira
Crutchlow
Bagnaia
Mir
Miller
Petrucci
A.Espargaro
Lorenzo
Rabat
Iannone
Abraham
Syahrin
Autosport
KTM enjoyed a strong morning, with Pol Espargaro third fastest in FP3. The quest for his 2020 team-mate continues, but Autosport revealed earlier today that it could come in the form of an old friend.

Smith "very keen" on shock KTM MotoGP comeback

Bradley Smith says he is "very keen" on the possibility to return to the KTM MotoGP outfit for 2020 following Johann Zarco's decision to leave the team

Smith
Autosport
Home hero Valentino Rossi has also shown some good pace on a Yamaha carrying a new, much-requested carbon fibre swingarm, as well as a new exhaust.

Different spec MotoGP Yamahas reaching top five surprises Rossi

Valentino Rossi says he was "surprised" that all four Yamaha MotoGP riders ended Friday practice at Misano strongly, despite them using several different configurations

Different spec MotoGP Yamahas reaching top five surprises Rossi
Yamaha has been the form manufacturer at Misano so far this weekend. Petronas SRT rider Fabio Quartararo was fastest in FP1 and FP3, with Maverick Vinales topping the times in FP2.
The final free practice has just come to an end, with Honda rider Marc Marquez taking top spot despite a small crash at the Quercia left-hander at Turn 8 late on.
Green flag
Good afternoon and welcome to live text coverage of qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix.

By: Matt Beer

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