MISANO ADRIATICO, Italy: Spaniard Maverick Vinales snatched pole position for the San Marino MotoGP on Sunday with world champion Marc Marquez recovering from a spectacular tumble to launch his challenge for a third win on the Italian circuit from the second row.
Yamaha rider Vinales clocked 1min 32.265sec and will be joined on the front row by fellow Spaniard Pol Espargaro (KTM) who was 0.295sec behind in Saturday’s qualifying and young French rider Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha-SRT) at 0.306.
World championship leader Marquez clocked the fifth fastest time at 0.477 behind Vinales, and will be joined on the second row by Italian pair Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha-SRT) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati).
Vinales is targeting his second MotoGP win this season after the Dutch MotoGP and is currently fifth in the world championship standings which Marquez dominates.
Marquez spectacularly tumbled in the fourth and final free practice session earlier Saturday but still managed to lead the way into qualifying at the Misano circuit, near Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast.
The daredevil Marquez showed great pluck picking himself up and rushing to get back on his bike, apparently unhurt.
Marquez has won five times in Misano and twice in the MotoGP category in 2015 and 2017.
The Honda driver has a 78-point advantage on Italian Dovizioso in the world championship standings as he closes in on a sixth world title.
The 26-year-old was frustrated in the last two races being pipped on the line by Rins at Silverstone and Dovizioso in Austria. — AFP