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By: Matt Beer

Summary

Status: Stopped
So, another Saturday, another thoroughly entertaining MotoGP qualifying session - this one almost a carbon copy of Misano, but with the added benefit of Valentino Rossi's unlikely heroics. Check back tomorrow to see if the Italian can cap off his brilliant recovery with a strong finish - and whether the 2017 title battle will take another turn.
Vinales: "I hope I can carry and make [1m]48s during the race, because I felt so good in FP4. I'm really happy, the bike is working well, the team is working really good, so happy to make my first pole in a Spanish grand prix. We are doing small steps every time, we know we are competitive on the dry, now we have to improve on the wet."
Lorenzo: "Was not so much problems [in FP3], was that I still need some more kilometres than the rest, with this bike to adapt to the track. Little by little I was improving, in FP4 I was a little bit more competitive, in Q1 more competitive and after I could push even more. Very proud, very happy with this first row, and I think we have great pace for tomorrow."
Rossi: "I think we did a great job after the injury. I have to thank all the guys that helped me. I worked very hard. The leg coming better every day. Sincerely on the bike I feel some pain but I could ride quite comfortable. I'm very happy, very important to start from the front row, now we have to try to understand the pace, try to understand also if I'm able to push to the end - but anyway I'm happy."
 
Q2 results: 1 Vinales; 2 Lorenzo; 3 Rossi; 4 Crutchlow; 5 Marquez; 6 Pedrosa; 7 Dovizioso; 8 A. Espargaro; 9 Bautista; 10 Iannone; 11 Zarco; 12 Kallio.
Kallio also appears to have crashed there, and he makes up the Q2 order in P12 - just 0.836s off pole.
Pedrosa cannot improve, so it's pole position for Maverick Vinales, from Jorge Lorenzo and comeback hero Valentino Rossi.
Bautista has crashed.
Chequered flag. No more improvements for anyone in the top five - but Dani Pedrosa in P6 is still on a lap.
Marquez is down to fifth place - he's remounted his bike but can only coast to the pitlane.
Vinales spoils the party for his teammate, logging a 1m47.635s with a minute and a half left, before Lorenzo slots in between the Yamaha pair.
And Marquez is down!
Rossi goes P1! 1m47.815s.
Three minutes to go, and almost everyone looks to be improving.
 
Dovizioso is currently 1.039s adrift of joint championship leader Marquez - and seven tenths off teammate Lorenzo. Will need to find some more time, or this could be a very costly weekend points-wise.
First runs look to be over and done with. Running order: 1 Marquez; 2 Vinales; 3 Lorenzo; 4 Pedrosa; 5 Crutchlow; 6 Kallio; 7 Iannone; 8 A. Espargaro; 9 Bautista; 10 Rossi; 11 Dovizioso; 12 Zarco.
First sub-1m48s lap of the weekend comes in courtesy of Marquez - 1m47.963s. Vinales slots into second, 0.179s off.
Lorenzo goes top, 1m48.288s. But Marquez is on a very good one.
He stays first as other laptimes are put on the board, ahead of Iannone and Kallio.
Marquez's early start means nobody gets to follow him as he clocks in an initial 1m48.438s benchmark.
Q2 now underway, Marc Marquez is first out on track.
Q2 line-up: Dovizioso; Zarco; Bautista; Vinales; Pedrosa; Iannone; Crutchlow; Kallio; A. Espargaro; Rossi; Marquez; Lorenzo.
???? #MotoGP Q1<br><br>@lorenzo99 & @JohannZarco1 storm through to Q2 to fight for pole!⚡️<br><br>#AragonGP https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKaKeKAW4AA_Cik.jpg<br><br>

???? #MotoGP Q1

@lorenzo99 & @JohannZarco1 storm through to Q2 to fight for pole!⚡️

#AragonGP https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKaKeKAW4AA_Cik.jpg

 
Q1 results: 1 Lorenzo; 2 Zarco; 3 Miller; 4 P. Espargaro; 5 Abraham; 6 Petrucci; 7 Baz; 8 Folger; 9 Barbera; 10 Rins; 11 Rabat; 12 Redding; 13 Smith; 14 Lowes.
And indeed they do. Miller misses out by 0.009s, Espargaro comes up a tenth short.
Chequered flag is out, Lorenzo and Zarco still in the first two spots and looking good to advance.
But he's immediately deposed by Zarco, 0.009s quicker than the Aussie.
Two minutes to go, and Miller moves up to second, 0.128s off Lorenzo.
 
Order rundown at halfway: 1 Lorenzo; 2 Abraham; 3 Miller; 4 P. Espargaro; 5 Zarco; 6 Petrucci; 7 Barbera; 8 Folger; 9 Rins; 10 Smith; 11 Baz; 12 Redding; 13 Rabat; 14 Lowes.
Lorenzo hasn't managed to improve with his second flying lap, but he did tow Aspar Ducati rider Karel Abraham along to a provisional second.
 
First laps are in, Jorge Lorenzo leads Marc VDS Honda's Jack Miller with a 1m48.179s lap.
Of great interest also is how KTM's regular riders Espargaro and Bradley Smith fare here. Test rider Mika Kallio is also racing at Aragon, his bike carrying some 2018 prototype parts - and he's been putting those to excellent use, comfortably making Q2.
Two GP17 riders in this one, Jorge Lorenzo and Pramac's Danilo Petrucci. This is not Ducati's strongest circuit by any stretch of the imagination, but they really should be targeting Q2.
The 15-minute first qualifying segment is now underway.

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