Ducati's Jorge Lorenzo secured a sensational second pole position of the season at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in testing conditions, with team-mate Andrea Dovizioso earning his third consecutive front row start in second as Johann Zarco rounded out the front row.
The start of qualifying had to be delayed by just under 30 minutes after an accident involving Tito Rabat in FP4 meant the Avintia racer had to be taken to hospital in Coventry, after sustaining multiple fractures in his right-leg having been struck by a rivals bike.
With the rules stipulating that the medical helicopter be present at all times, the session had to be delayed until it returned. Meanwhile the chance of rain increased as the day went on, which meant come the eventful start, all 12 riders were keen to get on with qualifying.
After graduating from Q1, KTM's Bradley Smith was the early pace-setter before Jack Miller led Dovizioso and team-mate Danilo Petrucci over the line to give the Desmosedicis a provisional front-row lock-out. But this was just the start of the constant chopping and changing for pole, with home hero Cal Crutchlow, Zarco and Dovizioso setting the fastest times of the session in tandem.
It was a case of de ja vu for Miller as he took the gamble to head out on slicks, just like he did for pole in Argentina. It was a gamble that looked to be paying off in the first sector, but when the Australian reached the treacherous Turn 7, he ran on and lost the lap time.
Meanwhile at the front, with the clock ticking, Lorenzo made his move to go provisional pole by 0.159s after Dovizioso had gone 0.905s ahead of the field. The two Ducatis would stay P1 and P2 as the checkered flag came out, with Zarco knocking Crutchlow off the front row on his final lap.
The Brit starts P4 at his home GP, with Championship leader Marc Marquez managing to salvage P5 on his final lap – 0.928s behind the Ducati duo.
Petrucci claimed sixth to join the Hondas on the second row, with Andrea Iannone spearheading the third row for Sunday’s showdown. This was Smith’s final home GP qualifying session for the foreseeable future, and what a session it was – the KTM rider earning the Austrian factory their best qualifying result of the season, with the Brit looking very strong in mixed conditions.
Miller’s gamble didn’t pay off in the end, he’ll start P9, with Q1 graduate Alex Rins rounding out the top ten.
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