BRNO, Czech Republic: Italian Andrea Dovizioso will start the Czech Moto GP on pole after pipping Valentino Rossi and runaway championship leader Marc Marquez in qualifying on Saturday.
Yamaha star Rossi had clocked the fastest time in the free practice sessions but was knocked off top spot by just two tenths of a second.
For Ducati rider Dovizioso this was his first pole of the season and sixth of his career.
He is placed fourth in a MotoGP standings dominated by Marquez who is closing in on his fifth title in the top division.
Brno marks his 100th MotoGP start.
The 25-year-old Spaniard, who has taken five of the season's nine races so far, has a 46-point advantage over Rossi with Maverick Vinales 56 points adrift.
Dovizioso took the Czech qualifying honours with a lap of 1min 54.689sec with Rossi 0.267 off the pace and only 0.005 quicker than Marquez.
Waiting to pounce on this trio is Jorge Lorenzo who heads the second row. Alongside Dovizioso's Ducati teammate are Cal Crutchlow and Danilo Petrucci. - AFP