news: Marquez secures Brno MotoGP pole

Marc Marquez has taken pole position on MotoGP’s return from the summer break in a committed performance in the Czech Republic.

Marquez twice nearly dropped his Repsol Honda during his first run before setting what would prove to be the pole time, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) rounding out the front row.

Pedrosa led the way after the first runs, with Marquez just behind despite nearly falling at Turn 3 on his first flyer and Turn 11 on his second.

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Championship leader Marquez came out on his second run and set the first 1:54s lap of the weekend, good enough for his fourth pole of the season.

Rossi came within 0.1s of #93 shortly after, while Pedrosa improved after the chequered flag but remained third.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) was more than 0.3s off the front row’s pace in fourth.

He will start alongside Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), who persevered with a suspected fractured vertebra after a crash during Free Practice 3, and Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team).

Lorenzo had been classified third after the first runs but lost the lap time in question due to exceeding track limits at the final corner.

The Spniard ran a bold new ‘aero fairing’ in qualifying after trialling the development in Friday practice.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha) struggled to seventh on the grid, alongside Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (Aspar Ducati), the latter two having come through Qualifying 1.

Row 4 will be Johann Zarco (Tech 3 Yamaha), Aleix Espargaro (Gresini Aprilia), and Loris Baz (Avintia Ducati).

Aleix Espargaro went down in the final minute of Q2, while brother Pol (Red Bull KTM) and Sam Lowes (Gresini Aprilia) crashed during Q1.

Jack Miller (Marc VDS Honda) will start from 15th, while Suzuki Ecstar rider Andrea Iannone is only 20th on the grid after crashing one bike in FP4 then experiencing technical problems with the other during Q1.

Sunday’s 22-lap race at the Automotodrom Brno starts at 2200 AEST.

In Moto2, Australia’s Remy Gardner will start from 26th on the grid.

Qualifying: Czech Grand Prix

Position	Number	Rider	Nat	Team	Bike	Time	Gap 1st/prev
1	93	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	1’54.981
2	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	1’55.073	0.092 / 0.092
3	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	1’55.119	0.138 / 0.046
4	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	1’55.441	0.460 / 0.322
5	35	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	LCR Honda	Honda	1’55.489	0.508 / 0.048
6	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Ducati Team	Ducati	1’55.552	0.571 / 0.063
7	25	Maverick VIÑALES	SPA	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	1’55.663	0.682 / 0.111
8	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	OCTO Pramac Racing	Ducati	1’55.738	0.757 / 0.075
9	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	Pull&Bear Aspar Team	Ducati	1’56.027	1.046 / 0.289
10	5	Johann ZARCO	FRA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	1’56.075	1.094 / 0.048
11	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	1’56.355	1.374 / 0.280
12	76	Loris BAZ	FRA	Reale Avintia Racing	Ducati	1’56.624	1.643 / 0.269
13	42	Alex RINS	SPA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	1’56.460	Q1 / Q1
14	94	Jonas FOLGER	GER	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	1’56.540	Q1 / 0.080
15	43	Jack MILLER	AUS	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	Honda	1’56.543	Q1 / 0.003
16	8	Hector BARBERA	SPA	Reale Avintia Racing	Ducati	1’56.685	Q1 / 0.142
17	17	Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	Pull&Bear Aspar Team	Ducati	1’56.786	Q1 / 0.101
18	44	Pol ESPARGARO	SPA	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	1’57.034	Q1 / 0.248
19	38	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	1’57.042	Q1 / 0.008
20	29	Andrea IANNONE	ITA	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	1’57.245	Q1 / 0.203
21	53	Tito RABAT	SPA	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	Honda	1’57.288	Q1 / 0.043
22	22	Sam LOWES	GBR	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia	1’57.465	Q1 / 0.177
23	45	Scott REDDING	GBR	OCTO Pramac Racing	Ducati	1’57.517	Q1 / 0.052