Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez has broken Casey Stoner's outright lap record on his way to another MotoGP pole position at Misano this afternoon, finishing half a second ahead of reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Marquez lapped in 1'32.915 compared to Stoner 2011 mark of 1'33.138 while Lorenzo mustered a 1'34.428, half a second quicker than his own pole time from last year in similar conditions.
The pair employed different but similar tactics in the 15-minute sessions with the Yamaha man dashing out of pitlane first to get clear track while Marquez hung back in his garage to ensure he was dead last to enter the track.
It meant that Lorenzo topped the table early on with his 1'33.824 after one flying lap but then lowered the benchmark to a 1'33.797 before coming into pitlane to change tyres and make some tweaks.
Marquez, meanwhile, banged in a 1'33.404 to take the lead with his second clear lap before also going in to change tyres. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa got his strategy all wrong and was mired in a big group of riders either looking for or avoiding a tow.
Valentino Rossi had been the same group but hung out of it and then went in, found a space and came out to set the second fastest time of the session with a 1'33.659 before Lorenzo's quickest came a lap later but it wasn't enough to stop Marquez.
Pedrosa, who was obviously angry and banged his tank as he stopped outside his garage, got back out and managed to get fourth place and head the second row while Cal Crutchlow salvaged fifth place from a so-far-disappointing weekend despite a baffle blowing out of his Leo Vince exhaust during his second run. The Monster Yamaha man ended with a 1'34.019.
Aleix Espargaro put his CRT Aprilia in sixth and ahead of both the HRC-supported satellite Hondas of Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista. Andrea Dovizioso was the quickest of the Ducatis as Nicky Hayden, Michele Pirro and Andrea Iannone finished behind him.
