Marc Marquez destroyed the opposition to take pole ahead of tomorrow’s Aragon MotoGP with a lap more than half a second quicker than anyone else.
The Repsol Honda man had certainly bounced back from his crash in free practice three this morning as he took the top spot with relative ease.
The Spaniard set a hot lap of 1’47.117s in just his first flying lap, setting the bar high for any potential challengers.
But it soon became clear that no-one else had anything to match him, and his time was enough to give him his fourth consecutive pole at the Spanish track.
The only rider who looked like he may be able to take it to Marquez was Cal Crutchlow. The LCR Honda rider jumped up to second place after his third lap, and having been up there all weekend so far was the man to watch as pack readied itself for the final runs.
But his glory was to be short lived. Having just been knocked down to third by Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Vinales, the Brit crashed out of contention. Vinales managed to get another quick one in to hold onto second, albeit 0.631s adrift of Marquez.
Dani Pedrosa, who had ended yesterday in the top spot, had another tough session. The Repsol Honda rider was almost a second down on his team-mate Marquez when he crashed on his last hot lap.
Valentino Rossi brought his Movistar Yamaha across the line in its almost usual sixth spot, securing himself a second row starting position.
His team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo, had been looking lost for most of the session but came good when it mattered, powering his M1 to the third fastest time after the flag fell to secure third.
Fourth went the way of Andrea Dovizioso who had found something extra since this morning’s free practice to give the Ducati team a second row starting spot ahead of Crutchlow in fifth.
Pedrosa’s best lap was enough to give him seventh when the flag fell, and he leads the third row ahead of the second Suzuki Ecstar of Aleix Espargaro and Danilo Petrucci, the Octo Pramac Yakhnich rider having been fastest man in qualifying one to make it through.
Britain’s Scott Redding rode to a respectable ninth quickest just behind team-mate Petrucci, and he starts ahead of the Monster Yamaha of Pol Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team’s Stefan Bradl.
Espargaro is expected to be the sole Monster Yamaha rider on track for tomorrow’s race with his stand-in team-mate Alex Lowes thought to have pulled out after injuring his foot in this morning’s free practice crash. Eugene Laverty will start from 16th positon.
