MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez judged tricky conditions to perfection as he claimed his sixth pole position of the season during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, three-tenths of a second clear of Yamaha rival Maverick Vinales.
A short burst of rainfall threatened proceedings at the start of Q2, but all left pitlane on slicks and the rain soon faded, with a frantic battle for pole cut short by further rain late on, leaving an early effort of 1:29.199s from newly-crowned five-times world champion good enough for Marquez.
Home hero Jack Miller snatched his first MotoGP pole in similar conditions earlier in the year in Argentina, and was the first to post a laptime, the Pramac rider setting the pace with a 1:31.723s.
This was quickly beaten by Marquez, who fired in a 1:31.282s before going nine tenths clear of the field with his second effort of 1:29.742s.
Yamaha's Vinales cut Marquez's lead down to just eight hundredths on his Yamaha, though Andrea Iannone moved the goalposts once more with a 1:29.712s.
The Suzuki rider's reign at the top of the timesheets was brief, as Vinales' Yamaha stablemate Johann Zarco guided his Tech3 M1 0.007s clear.
Marquez subsequently re-established top spot with a 1:29.199s with just under half the session gone, which proved decisive, as a late sprinkle of rain stopped any usurpers from emerging in the closing stages.
Vinales will start from second, his first front row since Misano, after missing pole by three tenths, with Zarco securing back-to-back front row starts in third.
FP4 pacesetter Iannone's early pole gambit was good enough for fourth in the end, with teammate Alex Rins three tenths adrift in fifth, with Miller sliding to sixth.
Valentino Rossi will head row three on the second of the works Yamahas, with Ducati duo Danilo Petrucci [Pramac] and Andrea Dovizioso joining him, with ninth representing the latter's worst Saturday result of the year.
Hafizh Syahrin made his first Q2 appearance on the sister Tech3 machine, and will start 10th after only missing Dovizioso's ninth by 0.074s, while Q1 graduates Pol Espargaro [KTM] and Ducati's Alvaro Bautista completed the top 10 – the latter crashing heavily early in Q2 at MG corner.
Karel Abraham hovered around the Q2 progression places for the entirety of Q1, but was unable to get his Nieto GP17 into the top two and will start a joint season-best 13th after missing Espargaro by just 0.070s.
Takaaki Nakagami [LCR] edged Honda stablemate Franco Morbidelli [Marc VDS] to 14th, while works Honda man Dani Pedrosa was a lowly 18th and a second off the pace of Bautista.
Bradley Smith was unable to match KTM teammate Espargaro's pace and will launch from 16th, while Abraham's temporary stablemate Mike Jones completes the grid in 23rd for his first MotoGP start in two years.
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