Marc Marquez takes best time in qualifying for Valencian GP. Dani Pedrosa places third and will start from front row.
Marc Marquez is not letting up at the Valencian GP, and took pole position in qualifying today ahead of the crucial final race of the campaign. He did what he does best: Set a dominant pace and claimed a blistering time to boot. His Repsol Honda teammate, Dani Pedrosa, was just 4 tenths of a second off Marquez and will join him on the front row, as they sandwich second-placed Jorge Lorenzo.
Marquez and Lorenzo alternated the top spot on the timesheets in the two final practice sessions, with Pedrosa in fourth place. When qualifying began, Lorenzo struck first, stopping the clock with a 1:30.645 on his first hot lap.
It wasn’t until the second tyre option was used that Pedrosa and Marquez set their best times, with Lorenzo forced back into the garage with mechanical issues. Marquez then set another record lap –his seventh circuit record of the season– of 1:30.237. Lorenzo and Pedrosa both improved their times, but the positions would not change and the three will again share the front row.
With the grid decided, the scene is set for the final race of the year, in which the title will be decided and Marquez has the chance to write his name in MotoGP history.
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
FP3 – 1:31.309, 20 laps, 80 km.
QP – 1:30.663, 9 laps, 36 km.
“I am very happy with how qualifying went today, despite not having taken pole. It was an interesting session for me, because I was able to find my pace again after various races in which I was off the front row. On the final two laps I was able to get a spot on the front row for tomorrow, and this is very important. It still wasn’t quite enough to take pole position, but I’m happy with the work that we carried out and the step forward that we made. I hope to improve a little more tomorrow and have a good race”.
Marc Marquez >> Audio
FP3 – 1:30.803, 22 laps, 88 km.
QP – 1:30.237, 9 laps, 36 km.
“We are happy, because we have achieved the goal that we had set for today: to be on the front row. In addition, taking pole position in the process, is something that will be very important for us. Tomorrow’s race is the most important one of the year and we will be trying to approach it like any other Grand Prix, although it will be difficult because Jorge [Lorenzo] has a great pace. We will try to pick the best tyres for the race, from two options which are both good, and give 100% tomorrow”.
