Quartararo edges Vinales for second-straight Jerez MotoGP pole

News 26 Jul 2020

Quartararo edges Vinales for second-straight Jerez MotoGP pole

Section: Competition

World champion Marquez decides not to ride after heroic effort.

Image: Supplied.

Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo has claimed back-to-back pole positions at Jerez’s Red Bull Grand Prix of Andalucia as MotoGP champion Marc Marquez decided to opt out of the race weekend following Q1.

Quartararo beat Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to pole as the number 12 had his fastest effort cancelled for exceeding track limits.

The last minute slice of drama makes it three poles in a row at the venue for Quartararo after his rookie heroics in last year’s Spanish GP and his fourth pole in a row stretching back to Sepang 2019. Completing the top three was Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) in his first premier class front row.

Fourth will start Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), ahead of a stunning performance from Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), who completes the second row.

Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) will line-up in P7, from Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) as he leads the Suzuki charge in 10th.

Mir’s injured factory teammate Alex Rins is starting 20th after managing a few more laps on Saturday, while Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) put in a mammoth effort to go from surgery on a broken scaphoid only a few days ago to almost getting through from Q1 and and he’ll start P13.

In Moto2, Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) took his first pole position ahead of Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) who completes the front row after coming through Q1. Remy Gardner (SAG Racing Team) starts 14th.

The Moto3 pole position belonged to Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) – his third in a row – from compatriot Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia), with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) third on the grid.

Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) converted his free practice form into his maiden MotoE World Cup E-Pole, beating second-fastest Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) and Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing). Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) qualified in P10.