Phillip Island MotoGP qualifying
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That's it for the live coverage of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Make sure to tune in tomorrow as well, races at Phillip Island are always entertaining.
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Vinales: "It went well, sector 1, 2 and 3, I was red [fastest] and then in 4 I caught the rain so I was just sliding in both tyres. I could not even finish the sector 4, but actually I am happy, it is important to be in first row. I have good feeling for tomorrow, I think we can improve quite a lot our bike, especially on the electronics so we need to keep working and let's see tomorrow, but I am actually really happy."
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Zarco: "It is horrible, this kind of conditions, you know the track is still dry, you know you can push but you really don't know if the bike will stay or crash. Overall, on this kind of track that every corner is so fast, you ride being scared and this is not good, but you have to do it because if not you lose your qualification. I did a good first exit and second exit was even more dark, cloudy. I was waiting a little bit and then I had one lap to do, I tried to do it, but the last sector again, even more drops of rain on my helmet. So I try but I was scared. I am so happy to be third, it is useful for tomorrow. It is showing that I can have a good pace, or possibility to fight for podium. I cross my fingers for it, but happy that it happened well. I need to relax now."
Information
Q2 results: 1 Marquez; 2 Vinales; 3 Zarco; 4 Iannone; 5 Rins; 6 Miller; 7 Rossi; 8 Petrucci; 9 Dovizioso; 10 Syahrin; 11 P. Espargaro; 12 Bautista.
Vinales and Zarco will join Marquez on the front row, followed by Suzuki duo Iannone and Rins, and local hero Miller. Rossi and Dovizioso, fighting for the runner-up spot in the standings, will start seventh and ninth.
Marquez takes his seventh pole of the season. Vinales set the fastest first sector but still couldn't do anything.
Checkered flag
Chequered flag.
He couldn't - no improvement from him as he nearly crashes.
Miller is the only rider with personal best sectors. Can he do something heroic on home soil?
That could be it, as riders are currently unable to improve with two minutes on the clock.
Rain flags at Turn 4.
Vinales starts his second run early but his first improvement is only good enough for second, three tenths slower than Marquez.
Marquez set that time behind Iannone, one of the fastest riders out there. Ideal conditions to set a pole position time.
Fun is over (for now) as Marquez retakes first place by half a second.
Stopwatch
Now it is Zarco in the lead with a 1m29.705s, by just 0.007s!
Crash
A crash for Bautista at Turn 10.
Iannone into the lead by 0.03s!
Now it's a 1m29.742s from Marquez, Yamaha duo Vinales and Zarco are the only two riders close to him in second and third.
Unsurprisingly, Miller looks quite feisty in damp conditions, but it's Marquez taking the early lead with a 1m31.282s. Espargaro second!
Green flag
Green flag, everybody out on slicks as rain appears to have eased off already.
And it started pouring at the track, just as the engines are firing up. Iannone, Marquez and Petrucci are at the end of the pitlane on slicks.
Iannone has topped two sessions so far this weekend, and Phillip Island is one of Suzuki's strongest tracks on the calendar. A pole position for Suzuki, anyone?
Information
Q2 field: Iannone; Petrucci; Vinales; Dovizioso; Zarco; Marquez; Miller; Rins; Rossi; Syahrin; Bautista; P. Espargaro.
Shocking for Pedrosa, he will start his last Australian Grand Prix as the third rider on the sixth row.
Information
Q1 results: 1 Bautista; 2 P. Espargaro; 3 Abraham; 4 Nakagami; 5 Morbidelli; 6 Smith; 7 Simeon; 8 Pedrosa; 9 A. Espargaro; 10 Luthi; 11 Torres; 12 Redding; 13 Jones.
No more improvements, Bautista tops Q1 from Pol Espargaro, who achieves KTM's first Q2 appearance of the season.
Checkered flag
Chequered flag.
Abraham improves his best time, but he is still 0.069s behind the KTM rider.
Pol Espargaro now moves up to second, but Abraham looks set to improve.
Stopwatch
Bautista further solidifies his lead with a 1m29.851s. Abraham second, four tenths off the pace.
If it is not good for Pedrosa, I don't even know what it is for Aprilia as Aleix Espargaro and Redding are only ahead of Jones. Even Torres is beating them.
It's not looking very good for Pedrosa, who is only fourth with six minutes to go.
Morbidelli and Pol Espargaro move up to second and third but Bautista still leads as he sets another strong laptime.
Stopwatch
Bautista leads with a 1m30.969s from Simeon and Abraham. The Ducatis look quite decent so far.
Suddenly it is quite cloudy around the track.
Green flag
Q1 underway.
Keep an eye on Alvaro Bautista, who stepped up to race with the factory Ducati team this weekend, replacing Jorge Lorenzo. The big chance of his career, one could say, except his future is already sorted and he won't be in MotoGP even if he wins on Sunday. Bautista's replacement at the Angel Nieto Ducati team is local hero Mike Jones.
Information
Q1 field: P. Espargaro; Pedrosa; Smith; Bautista; Abraham; A. Espargaro; Morbidelli; Nakagami; Simeon; Luthi; Torres; Redding; Jones.
Cal Crutchlow is the big casualty of the weekend, the LCR Honda rider crashed on Friday and broke his ankle, more specifically he suffered a 'bimalleolar and anterior tibia part right ankle fracture'. He is out of this weekend, and could be out for the rest of the season.
The most important part of the season is over - Marc Marquez is champion. But that shouldn't take away any of the excitement this weekend, especially as the field is at Phillip Island, a track with a unique layout and where the weather can always mix things up. At the moment there is glorious sunshine, but only 16 °C.
By: Matt Beer
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