VALENCIA: Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo will start from pole position in Sunday’s MotoGP in Valencia after setting a new track record in qualifying on Saturday.
The Yamaha rider clocked a fastest lap of 1min 29.401sec for the 65th pole of his career ahead of Spaniard Marc Marquez of Honda and Italian team-mate Valentino Rossi.
Marquez, 23, won his third world title with three races to spare and comes into the Valencia race with five wins in 2016 – Argentina, Grand Prix of the Americas, Germany, Aragon and Japan.
The title may be sewn up but on Sunday he still has another target – a record 22nd constructors’ championship for Honda.
France’s Johann Zarco of Kalex will start from pole in the Moto2 category, the two-time world champion setting a new track record of 1:34.879 in the category to lead Switzerland’s Thomas Luthi and Franco Morbidelli of Italy on the Ricard-Tormo circuit.
Spaniard Aron Canet will start from pole in the Moto3 category in the final race in the world championship series.
It will be the first pole start for the 17-year-old Honda rider in his debut season after clocking the fastest time ahead of South African world champion Brad Binder (KTM) and Japan’s Hiroki Ono (Honda). --AFP