Barcelona MotoGP qualifying
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By: Matt Beer
Summary
Status: Stopped
Right, that is it for qualifying day for the MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix. On Sunday, we go racing.
Join us for more live MotoGP coverage on Sunday. Until then, thanks for your company, and we will see you on Sunday.
Join us for more live MotoGP coverage on Sunday. Until then, thanks for your company, and we will see you on Sunday.
The predicted race pace for Sunday based on Lorenzo's FP4 form is 1m40.0s. I think we are set up for an absolute barnstormer of a grand prix.
Lorenzo: "I was a little bit disappointed with the first front tyre." Says he didn't have grip on the left side of the tyre. That explains his angry moment after his first run. Ducati did have a few tyre issues during Friday practice at Mugello.
0.66s splits Lorenzo and Marquez on two different machines. What kind of gaps will we see next year when they are both on RC213Vs?
Rabat secures his best grid slot since qualifying fourth in Argentina, and that came in funny conditions. The Avintia rider will be more than pleased with ninth and just four tenths from the second row.
Petrucci apologised to Marquez after the flag for getting in his way on his final lap. Front row is job done for Marquez, so he won't let it bother him too much.
Yamaha will be ruing its decision to message Rossi that Marquez was following him. Rossi was on a potential front row lap when that happened.
This is Lorenzo's 10th-successive Catalunya front row start. Can he make it back-to-back victories in 2018 on Sunday? His pace throughout practice on used soft rubber suggests 'the hammer' will strike hard.
0.066s split Lorenzo and Marquez. Dovizioso makes the front row for the first time this season. Vinales heads Iannone and Petrucci on row two. Rossi, Zarco and Rabat will form row three. Crutchlow will start 10th after his late crash, with Pedrosa and Nakagami rounding out the top 12.
Marquez gets blocked by Petrucci in the final sector. It is pole position for Jorge Lorenzo! It is his first for Ducati and his first since his farewell Yamaha race at Valencia in 2016.
Dovizioso has lost almost three tenths in sector three. It's game over for the Italian's pole hopes.
Marquez gets across the line with 10 seconds to spare. Can he deny Lorenzo? Dovizioso going fast too.
It's provisional pole for Lorenzo with a 1m38.680s. Marquez is not going quick at the start of this lap.
Perhaps Lorenzo wanted to swap straight to his second bike, and it was not ready. Six minutes remaining and most have headed back out again.
Everyone heads back into pitlane. Marquez top from Rossi, Lorenzo, Iannone, Vinales, Crutchlow, Zarco, Dovizioso, Petrucci, Rabat, Nakagami, Pedrosa.
Zarco has run on at the first turn. He is currently seventh on the Tech3 Yamaha. Zarco came close to wiping out Marquez under braking.
Lorenzo sets the benchmark at a blistering 1m39.331s, Vinales and Iannone complete the provisional front row.
Marquez has rolled out of his fist flying lap. Petrucci was following him, so perhaps that was the reason.
All on soft/soft, except Crutchlow, Pedrosa, Nakagami and Marquez. The former three are on a medium front, Marquez again running the hard.
Poles this season have so far gone to Marquez [USA], Zarco [Qatar & France], Crutchlow [Jerez], Rossi [Mugello] and Miller [Argentina].
So Honda stablemates Marquez and Nakagami will join Dovizioso, Vinales, Crutchlow, Zarco, Rossi, Petrucci, Pedrosa, Rabat, Iannone and Lorenzo in the pole shootout session coming up in just a few minutes.
This will be Nakagami's first appearance in Q2 in his rookie season. His previous best qualifying result is a 13th, which came at round three in Texas.
Nakagami secures progression into Q2 in second, Miller loses out by just six hundredths and will start 13th.
Syahrin, Rins, Aleix Espargaro, Smith, Morbidelli, Pol Espargaro, Redding, Abraham, Bautista, Kallio, Luthi, Guintoli and Simeon will form places 14th-26th.
Syahrin, Rins, Aleix Espargaro, Smith, Morbidelli, Pol Espargaro, Redding, Abraham, Bautista, Kallio, Luthi, Guintoli and Simeon will form places 14th-26th.
Just a few seconds left in this session and Nakagami jumps up to second. Miller going fast in sector one, however.
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