Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa blitzed the existing Sepang outright lap record and the competition in today’s qualifying session to set pole by a whopping half a second over team-mate Marc Marquez.
The tiny Spaniard set a 1’59.063 to go under Marquez’ best of 1’59.791 set last year - a time that had already been beaten by Jorge Lorenzo in free practice three when he banged in a 1’59.544 to top that session.
Pedrosa has slowly built his pace all weekend but after rolling down pitlane last in the first run of laps, he stunned the competition with his time which not even Marquez could get anywhere near.
Marquez set a 1’59.462 on his final lap of the period to take second place after allowing Lorenzo to follow him during the first run but it didn’t help the Mallorcan as Valentino Rossi pulled a 1’59.726 out of nowhere to bag the last place on row one and bump title rival Lorenzo back to row two with his last effort.
The Doctor’s lap had been a couple of tenths off the pace but he found something in the final two sectors to finish 0.11s ahead of the Spaniard after playing tow-me, tow-you with new best friend Andrea Dovizioso on runs one and two. It means Rossi is right next to new best enemy Marquez, which may make for an interesting turn one tomorrow.
Unaware of Rossi;s laptime, Lorenzo cruised down pitlane and killed the motor on his M1 as he prepared to roll into parc ferme, only to be embarrassingly turned away by an IRTA official and he had to be pushed back to his garage.
Britain’s Cal Crutchlow leapt into fifth place with his last lap of the session, sticking in a 2’00.199. The LCR Honda man 1.1s off the pace of fellow Honda man Pedrosa but in a good place to fight for a podium tomorrow.
Iannone and works Ducati team-mate Andrea Dovizioso are sixth and seventh while Maverick Vinales came through qualifying one to take eighth place. Bradley Smith, also a Q1 participant, took ninth with his last lap while Open class rider Hector Barbera completes the top ten.
Aleix Espargaro had got through to qualifying two by right but dumped the Ecstar Suzuki and could only muster 11th place, one ahead of brother Pol on the Monster Yamaha. Scott Redding ended in 15th with Eugene Laverty in 22nd.
