Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez bagged pole position for tomorrow’s Sachsenring MotoGP race and towed Hector Barbera into second place but it was disaster for reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo who crashed twice and will start from 11th on the grid tomorrow.
The Spaniard’s first crash happened as he rode over the kerb at turn eight in qualifying one which levered his YZR-M1 off the floor. Fortunately, Lorenzo had already put in a time good enough to progress to qualifying two but he went down again at turn one with three minutes left and that was his day done.
Marquez, meanwhile, was well inside his own lap record with a 1’21.160 but was shadowed by the Avintia Ducati of Barbera who put in a 1’21.572 to occupy the middle of the front row. Valentino Rossi had his fastest laps interrupted as Yonny Hernandez was in the way and The Doctor couldn’t find a way past, settling for third place on a 1’21.666.
Pramac Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci stormed through qualifying one on his GP15 and then set the exact same time as Rossi in qualifying two but Rossi’s second fastest lap was faster, so Petrucci heads the second row and has Pol Espargaro and Maverick Vinales for company.
Andrea Dovizioso took seventh with Aleix Espargaro next to him while Andrea Iannone crashed into turn one after making plans with Hernandez for some mutual tows. Dani Pedrosa strugled to tenth place, one ahead of Lorenzo with Hernandez in 12th.
Cal Crutchlow leads an all-British fifth row as he has Bradley Smith and Scott Redding for company while Eugene Laverty, who found more than two seconds from his best time yesterday, ended the day in 18th place.
Go on-board with Marquez for the pole lap
