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MotoGP Motegi: Migno inherits pole from penalised Ono

Hiroki Ono smashed the Motegi Moto3 lap record as he stormed to his first ever pole at home.

But it wasn’t to be, as he was then hit by a three-place penalty for riding too slowly in FP1, handing the coveted top spot to second quickest man Andrea Migno.

The Honda Team Asia rider set a fast lap of 1’56.433 just as the flag fell at the end of today’s 40-minute qualifying session, and was unable to be matched by anyone else.

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Ono, who has been looking strong all weekend, was part of the charging pack who had saved their best until last in qualifying.

The early pacesetter had been Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Jorge Navarro, who jumped to the top of the timesheets with a 1’46.951 just seven minutes into the session, while newly-crowned champion Brad Binder caused some excitement with a bit of grass tracking.

Navarro held onto the top spot for around 15minutes, when Ono made his first foray to the top of the pile as he set a quick one to depose Navarro.

Leopard Racing’s Fabio Quartararo crashed out at Turn Two but was able to re-join safely, and a few minutes later it was SKY Racing Team VR46 rider Nicolo Bulega who went top.

Bulega held the top spot as the whole pack pitted to get themselves ready for a final stab, and as everyone emerged together it was clear it was going to be tough for any rider to get a decently quick time in.

Bulega decided to free himself up by riding through pit lane to shake some of the traffic, as the rest hustled and bustled on track, and Darryn Binder tipped off his Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra, re-joining unhurt.

With less than 10 seconds until the flag, Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini finally shook things up as he moved up to provisional pole, but it lasted just two seconds as Brad Binder’s Red Bull KTM Ajo machine moved in front.

But he was knocked down almost as quickly by a flying Andrea Migno just as the flag fell and moments before Ono deposed him with his fast lap.

While most of the field crossed the line in time to get one final lap in, no-one made any attempt to do so, leaving Ono to bask in the glory of a new lap record but denied pole

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Instead, Migno will start from the front on the grid alongside Binder, with Bastianini third. Ono will head the second row with Bulega fifth and his SKY Racing Team VR46 team-mate Lorenzo Dalla Porta sixth.

Niccolo Antonelli, who crashed on his final lap, will head the third row ahead of Quartararo with Adam Norrodin ninth and Phillip Oettl 10th. Brit John McPhee will start from 16th.

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