Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Sep 21 (IANS): Francesco Bagnaia of Team Ducati set a stunning time to claim pole position for the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna, the 14th race of the MNotoGP calendar for 2024. The Italian destroyed the lap record for the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, clocking an unbelievable 1:30.031 – claiming a 0.214s advantage over Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
The rider #89 was on provisional pole in the opening moments of the session, before being pipped by his title rival in the final five minutes.
Meanwhile, it was another great result for Ducati Lenovo Team’s Enea Bastianini, with ‘The Beast’ charging to the third and final spot on the front row – improving on his final flying lap.
Q1 brought further drama to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashing early at Turn 1. The #73 sprinted back to the box, ready for a final time attack, the broadcaster of MotoGP in India, Eurosport, informed in a release on Saturday.
Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) was at the top of the standings early on before Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) improved, sending the #33 and Oliveira through to Q2 after strong laps. Once Q2 got underway, Martin set the pace - clocking an early 1:30.245 – breaking the lap record instantly. Meanwhile, there was early drama for Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), with the #93 falling at Turn 3.
The action was left into the final minutes, with tension building as every rider tried to improve on their time from the first run. It was a spectacular show for the Misano crowd as red sectors appeared from Bagnaia and Martin. The #1 smashed the lap record, setting an incredible 1:30.031 to place two-tenths clear of Martin. Binder briefly jumped to third before Bastianini found further time.
Marc Marquez on third row
Binder was demoted to fourth in the closing moments, heading the second row of the grid with a great starting ground for the Tissot Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix. The South African will have tough competition in the second row after Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) placed a remarkable fifth as the rookie’s pace continues to improve. Acosta ended the session in fifth with Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) holding onto the sixth-place spot on the grid.
Marc Marquez will start from row three after he was unable to improve on the time set in his first run after returning to the circuit. The eight-time World Champion’s best time came on lap three, leaving him 0.849s adrift from pole. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) starts from eighth as Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) placed P9 in another standout performance from the Frenchman.
Further back, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) starts from P19 on the grid, as the Aussie is left with a lot of work to do later on. Miller is not the only rider who aims to carve through the field, as Alex Marquez will start from the 21st position – after an earlier Q1 crash.
Indian fans can catch all the action from MotoGP 2024 - Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix - Main Race LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport HD from 1:15 pm IST onwards on Sunday.