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Sepang MotoGP qualifying
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That's it for our live coverage today, thanks for tuning in for another exciting MotoGP qualifying. I don't think I have to convince anyone to tune in for tomorrow's race, but until then, goodbye!
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Dani Pedrosa: "You had to take some risks, I made a couple of mistakes still in my last run but I'm very happy because third pole of the year is quite positive, normally I don't do so many poles so I am happy. Also starting tomorrow from the front row is very important ,the track was improving every time so the laptimes were faster and that is because no rain today. We hope tomorrow again to have dry race because yesterday in the wet we struggle a lot, so anyway we have to be good for the race and hopefully, we can do a good race."
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Johann Zarco, asked if he can carry this form to the race: "I hope so and I think so because we did a great FP4 when I used the medium front and medium rear. I think can do [it] in the race and I can find good pace for the victory, so quite positive. Now just have to wait and see the race, see the weather, I think the hot condition is going to be hard for everybody, as always in all categories. I'm ready to fight for that and about the qualifying today, pretty happy, I was feeling good, we did some small improvements with the team. Then on the second tyre I really did a good laptime and this last lap, expected the pole position but no shame at all, because second, first positions are the main things and fighting at this level is just fantastic."
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Andrea Dovizioso: "Pole position is always nice but I was so happy to see 59.2s, I did a perfect lap so really happy about that. That was the important thing, a lot of riders did good laptimes in their first runs so I had to do a really good laptime to be in the first row and I did it, we did it. So happy about that, we worked really well during the weekend, dry or wet, we are quite competitive. Let's see and wait for the weather tomorrow."
That seventh place is the second-worst qualifying result of Marquez's MotoGP career. He was 13th at Mugello two years ago, but apart from that, he was in the top six every time.
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Information
Q2 results: 1 Pedrosa; 2 Zarco; 3 Dovizioso; 4 Rossi; 5 Vinales; 6 Lorenzo; 7 Marquez; 8 Rins; 9 Iannone; 10 Crutchlow; 11 Miller; 12 Espargaro.
That's Pedrosa taking pole position, for the third time this year. Zarco and Dovizioso will make up the front row tomorrow, Marquez only seventh.
Pedrosa goes even faster! Unbelievable, the top three is separated by 0.024s.
Zarco beats Dovizioso by 0.007s!
Checkered flag
Chequered flag, Dovizioso goes 1m59.236s!
Stopwatch
Zarco doesn't improve, but Rossi and Pedrosa do! Rossi is into the lead with a 1m59.498s.
Crash
Crutchlow was on a really good lap, but crashed at Turn 7.
It's been a quiet session for Rossi as well, the Yamaha rider is only 10th at the moment.
Stopwatch
Marquez goes third with his first attempt, just four hundredths of a second off the pace.
Dovizioso is currently sixth, four tenths slower than Lorenzo. Five minutes left on the clock.
Stopwatch
Meanwhile, it's extremely close at the front - Zarco, Vinales, Pedrosa and Lorenzo are separated by 0.169s.
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Marquez is already back on track, so he still has all the chances to get a good result here.
Stopwatch
Lorenzo is into the lead by going below the two-minute barrier but only until Zarco goes 1m59.636s.
Crash
Marquez crashes at the final turn! He went off on his first flyer and pushes his bike back to pitlane.
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Rossi, Marquez and Crutchlow are running on hard front tyres, everybody else is on mediums. All riders using soft rears, except perhaps Espargaro, who is yet to join the track.
Green flag
The 15-minute Q2 has begun.
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Q2 line-up: Rossi; Zarco; Pedrosa; Dovizioso; Lorenzo; Miller; Crutchlow; Iannone; Marquez; Vinales; Rins; Espargaro.
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Espargaro was taken back to the pitlane on a scooter in time for Q2, and KTM is preparing his second bike.
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Q1 results: 1 Rins; 2 Espargaro; 3 Petrucci; 4 Redding; 5 Bautista; 6 Smith; 7 Baz; 8 Lowes; 9 Rabat; 10 Barbera; 11 Abraham; 12 Van der Mark.
Amid all the crashes, the session has come to an end. Rins stayed ahead with his 2m00.138s time, Espargaro is second. Petrucci made a mistake on his flyer, and is only third.
Crash
Another crash! It's Pol Espargaro, who is off at Turn 12, but only after jumping up to second in the order.
Checkered flag
Chequered flag.
Crash
Baz also off while following Rins, he fell at Turn 11.
Crash
Van der Mark crashed at Turn 5.
Two minutes remaining and everybody is set to improve.
Espargaro is not happy with new boy Van der Mark, the Dutchman might have slightly impeded the KTM rider at the final turn.
Redding and Espargaro temporarily jump ahead of Rins, only for the Suzuki rider to take the lead.
Stopwatch
First laps are in, Petrucci and Rins are in first and second, the former leading the way with a 2m00.351s time. That's already better than Marquez's benchmark in FP4.
Another rider to keep an eye on in the first part of this qualifying is MotoGP debutant Michael van der Mark. The Dutchman hasn't had the flashiest of weekends so far, but anyone who follows World Superbike knows he is an exciting rider.
Green flag
Q1 is underway.
By: Matt Beer
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