Valentino Rossi will start from pole for the third time this season as he outclassed his rivals during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
The Yamaha rider beat championship leader Marc Marquez by almost two-tenths with a lap of 1m43.954 to secure his first pole since Mugello in late-May.
The result will surely have surprised both Rossi and Marquez as the Italian was off the lead pace in all practice sessions and even during the first qualifying runs, which Honda's Marquez led from Jorge Lorenzo.
Mistakes during his second and third run cost the Spaniard before he encountered yellow flags on his final run, forcing him to settle for second, with Lorenzo on the front-row in third despite finding himself in hospital earlier in the day following a practice fall.
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso was fourth ahead of Cal Crutchlow – who fell late in the session – with the Suzuki pair Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales in sixth and seventh, five tenths adrift each.
Duacti's Hector Barbera was eighth ahead of Tech3 Yamaha's Pol Espargaro,with Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci completing the top ten.
