News 25 Jun 2017

Zarco edges to maiden MotoGP pole position at Assen

Miller misses out on Q2 to start from 13th on the grid.

Source: Supplied.

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took his first ever premier class pole position at the Dutch GP, dueling it out with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the final few seconds ticked down.

Marquez crossed the line first and first, but the Frenchman almost immediately hit back to take his first MotoGP pole on his final lap.

Zarco’s Assen heroics also make it the first French pole since Olivier Jacque in 2002. Another superstar in the battle was Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing), who followed up his first ever front row in the Catalan GP by repeating the feat in the Netherlands in very different conditions.

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) looked a contender for the top spot until his final sector and although missing out, the ‘Doctor’ will head the second row and has good scope to attack.

Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) starts a season-best fifth after graduating from Q1 and topping FP3, and Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completes Row 2 in another impressive session from another rider with a reputation for excellence in the rain.

Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) crossed the line in P7 for his best QP of the season ahead of LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) completing the third row after suffering a crash in QP.

Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) made the most of his first ever Q2 appearance, taking a top 10 start to head up row four and ahead of championship leader Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) starts from P12 after a more difficult day in the rain.

Those not making it through now decide the rest of the grid, with 2016 Assen winner Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) locking out the fastest 15.

Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took another impressive pole position as the 2017 points leader bounced back from a more difficult Catalan GP, heading key rival Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten). Tech3 Racing’s Remy Gardner starts 21st.

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) is earning a reputation in 2017 as the pole-setter in all but two of the races so far and the Motul TT Assen is not one of the exceptions.

The Spaniard sliced through the difficult, wet conditions of qualifying to flatten the field by eight tenths ahead of Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Sky Racing Team VR46 rider Nicolo Bulega.

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