Lorenzo Baldassarri secured his maiden Moto2 pole by setting a new lap record at Jerez in a crash-strewn qualifying session.
Friday pacesetter Alex Marquez set the initial pace in the 45-minute session, the Marc VDS rider going top with a 1:42.217s, with Francesco Bagnaia deposing him moments later with a 1:42.112s.
10 minutes after Bagnaia took to the top of the timesheets, Baldassarri – who was fastest in final practice this morning – edged ahead with a new lap record of 1:42.031s, which he improve on his following tour to a 1:42.010s.
Baldassarri held onto pole as the final minutes of the session counted down, cementing it with a 1:41.925s, while Marquez missed out by just 0.071 seconds.
Bagnaia completed the front row, while Jorge Navarro took fourth despite a late fall. Brad Binder rounded out the top five on the first of the KTM chassis.
Rookie Joan Mir salvaged sixth despite suffering from a nasty stomach bug, the Marc VDS rider edging ahead of Xavi Vierge and Sam Lowes, who was one of many to crash at the Nieto corner.
Romano Fenati will start from ninth, with Mattia Pasini 10th having crashed twice in the session, the Italtrans rider adding his name to the list of Turn 9 victims.
Lowes' CGBM Evolution teammate Iker Lecuona followed Pasini into the Turn 9 grave, with the MotoGP-bound Miguel Oliveira falling at the corner in the closing stages, leaving him a distant 14th.
Wildcard Xavi Cardelus fell at Turn 9 just moments after Oliveira, with the injured Remy Gardner's replacement Hector Garzo and Tasca Racing's Federico Fuligni also going down at the troublesome corner.
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