Source: Supplied.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez will start Sunday’s Grand Prix of Spain from pole position after out-dualling countrymen Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez at Catalunya.

Marquez quickly set the best time of the weekend, becoming the first rider to ever set a 1m43s lap around the new layout on a grand prix motorcycle.

His lap wouldn’t be challenged until the final 30 seconds when the timing screens became a sea of red. Just as the flag came out Marquez recorded a 1m43.589s, netting pole position as he ended 0.467s faster than his closest rival.

The Repsol Honda man was the only rider under the 1m44s barrier to take his first pole position since Austin earlier in the year. Both of Marquez’s previous 2016 poles have converted into victories.

Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) did well to produce a 1m44.056s, unable to challenge Marquez’s time but a quarter of a second faster than third placed Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team).

Pedrosa returns to the front row for the first time since the Valencia GP in 2015 with a 1m44.307s, having not started higher than fourth so far in 2016. This ends what had been Pedrosa’s longest run without a front row start since his rookie season.

Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) was a surprise in fourth after advancing from the Q1 session. Not since the Italian GP in 2012 has Barbera started a MotoGP race inside the top six.

0.002s back on Barbera was Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who had been unable to crack the top three since the new layout was introduced.

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS’s Jack Miller will start 19th after posting his fastest times on the final qualifying lap of the session.

Defending champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) will start from Moto2 pole position for the first time since lifting the world title in Japan back in 2015. He led Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) and Thomas Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten).

Times were tight in the Moto3 class, the front row decided by 0.088s with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking pole ahead of Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) and Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0).