Mugello MotoGP qualifying
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So that's a wrap from us today, as Yamaha bounces back from a somewhat underwhelming Le Mans showing to place two of its works bikes on the front row.
It's good timing, too. Rossi had been very pessimistic about his hopes for Mugello after a private test earlier in the season, but the 2018-spec YZR-M1 looked fantastic today and this could be great news for the rest of Yamaha's season.
Still, tomorrow's the one that will count, obviously. Can Rossi convert pole to victory? Will teammate Maverick Vinales be a factor? Is Jorge Lorenzo a genuine contender to claim his first win for Ducati - and do Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone, Andrea Dovizioso or even Danilo Petrucci still have something up their sleeves?
Tune in tomorrow to find out.![Mugello MotoGP: Rossi scores first pole since 2016]()
It's good timing, too. Rossi had been very pessimistic about his hopes for Mugello after a private test earlier in the season, but the 2018-spec YZR-M1 looked fantastic today and this could be great news for the rest of Yamaha's season.
Still, tomorrow's the one that will count, obviously. Can Rossi convert pole to victory? Will teammate Maverick Vinales be a factor? Is Jorge Lorenzo a genuine contender to claim his first win for Ducati - and do Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone, Andrea Dovizioso or even Danilo Petrucci still have something up their sleeves?
Tune in tomorrow to find out.
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Rossi: "Is a great emotion, especially the lap after the pole, say ciao to all the crowd, is fantastic.
"Is great because also a surprise, because this year in qualifying I always suffer. But today the lap was great, and I think that was enough for the front row, but in the end it's the pole position.
"Was a long time, is important, is a great feeling - I think tomorrow will be more difficult, but for sure I enjoy the moment."
"Is great because also a surprise, because this year in qualifying I always suffer. But today the lap was great, and I think that was enough for the front row, but in the end it's the pole position.
"Was a long time, is important, is a great feeling - I think tomorrow will be more difficult, but for sure I enjoy the moment."
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Lorenzo: "Well, I think we're working hard the last two or three races and I was competitive - the only thing is when I make for five laps, I start to get tired.
"Finally, I was asking to have a different form of the fuel tank, finally arrive here and it give me much more support on the braking and in the middle of the corner, so I can save more energy, ride much more constant and maybe a little bit faster.
"These two little tenths is the difference between being in the third row and second row and being in the first row like today."
"Finally, I was asking to have a different form of the fuel tank, finally arrive here and it give me much more support on the braking and in the middle of the corner, so I can save more energy, ride much more constant and maybe a little bit faster.
"These two little tenths is the difference between being in the third row and second row and being in the first row like today."
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Vinales: "We tried the best, I think in the morning we took the wrong way, we went the bike a little bit more to make narrow the corners, but we lose a lot in sector three, our problem was there.
"Still I didn't have a lot of confidence on the bike, but step by step I'm getting in. I think the lap was good, can improve, so I'm happy for that. The team did a great job, congratulations."
"Still I didn't have a lot of confidence on the bike, but step by step I'm getting in. I think the lap was good, can improve, so I'm happy for that. The team did a great job, congratulations."
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The crowd is certainly pretty chuffed with that outcome, and it sets us up nicely for what should be a very good race tomorrow.
This is Valentino Rossi's first MotoGP pole position since Motegi 2016.
The top seven were split by 0.292s there - but Crutchlow, in eighth, is over four tenths behind seventh-placed Dovizioso.
Bit of a two-tier session, but it's the kind of two-tier that, say, Formula 1 could (should) only dream of.
Bit of a two-tier session, but it's the kind of two-tier that, say, Formula 1 could (should) only dream of.
Information
Q2 results: 1 Rossi; 2 Lorenzo; 3 Vinales; 4 Iannone; 5 Petrucci; 6 Marquez; 7 Dovizioso; 8 Crutchlow; 9 Zarco; 10 Rins; 11 Miller; 12 Morbidelli.
Marquez only sixth, he will share row two with Iannone and Petrucci.
Crash
It doesn't come for either. Valentino Rossi seals pole position at Mugello, ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Maverick Vinales!
Petrucci and Dovizioso are both in the hunt, but they both need a great final sector.
Marquez has backed out, will start no higher than fifth. Petrucci is up after two sectors.
Checkered flag
Lorenzo starts his final lap just before the chequered flag falls.
Marquez comes so very close to crashing! Fantastic save, but that's another lap scrapped.
Rossi is running behind Marquez now, and towing Morbidelli along. This is fun.
Vinales moves up to third with a minute left on the clock, 0.096s off the pace.
Lorenzo slots into second, 0.035s slower. Iannone is third. Vinales is pushing. Marquez is pushing.
Stopwatch
But he loses so much time in the third sector! And Valentino Rossi goes top, 1m46.208s.
Iannone's first flyer of his second run is 0.018s short of his own provisional pole. Marquez is almost half a second up after two sectors.
Four and a half minutes left on the clock, Marquez heads out for his second run, and tries to make sure he isn't followed.
Dovizioso was towing Rins along there, while Morbidelli was in his mentor Rossi's wheeltracks. These track position games might play a massive role in the second runs here.
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Halfway order: 1 Iannone, 2 Marquez, 3 Lorenzo, 4 Petrucci, 5 Rossi, 6 Vinales, 7 Dovizioso, 8 Rins, 9 Morbidelli, 10 Zarco, 11 Crutchlow, 12 Miller.
And that was with the help of Maverick Vinales, who Iannone followed and got a handy tow from on the main straight.
Stopwatch
Boom, new pole position record arrives courtesy of Suzuki's Andrea Iannone, 1m46.347s.
A 1m 46.454 from Marquez to reclaim the top spot. Still not as fast as practice.
It doesn't stand for very long - Lorenzo goes exactly two tenths quicker. But Marquez is about to go faster still.
Stopwatch
Marquez punches in his first lap, 1m46.806s.
Marquez is first on the road, Lorenzo is last. They're pretty much in clear air, but there's a bit of a pack forming elsewhere.
Q2 is underway. In 15 minutes, we'll have the name of the pole-sitter - and almost certainly a new track record.
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Q2 line-up: Marquez, Iannone, Rossi, Lorenzo, Zarco, Petrucci, Crutchlow, Morbidelli, Rins, Dovizioso, Miller, Vinales.
Rabat might have missed out on Q2 here, but it's a proper effort nonetheless - considering he had been in doubt for the race after a hard crash in Barcelona testing.
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Q1 order: 1 Miller; 2 Vinales; 3 Rabat; 4 Syahrin; 5 P Espargaro; 6 Bautista; 7 Smith; 8 Nakagami; 9 Luthi; 10 Pedrosa; 11 A Espargaro; 12 Abraham; 13 Redding; 14 Simeon.
Pedrosa is only 10th, and will start the race the lowest-placed of the five Hondas - 20th on the grid.
Rotten qualifying showing for Aprilia, too. Aleix Espargaro will be 21st, Scott Redding will be 23rd.
Rotten qualifying showing for Aprilia, too. Aleix Espargaro will be 21st, Scott Redding will be 23rd.
It'll be Miller and Vinales progressing to Q2 then. Close call for the latter, but he played it well in the end. Got a very well-timed dashboard communication from the team, too.
Checkered flag
And what a good decision it was - Rabat comes up a tenth short of Vinales' time. Chequered flag now.
Rabat is going for it - and he's briefly up on Miller (and, by proxy, Vinales). But the Yamaha man rolls out of his lap right before the start-finish straight, allowing Rabat through and depriving him of the tow.
It's down to these three now - nobody else looks to have that kind of pace.
Stopwatch
Hello Jack Miller! The Aussie shoots up to the top spot. a 1m46.771s. Vinales might want to stop towing Rabat here.
Vinales improves to a 1m46.806s. Rabat also posts a minor improvement.
By: Matt Beer
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