Tito Rabat looked much more like the rider that clinched the 2014 Moto2 world title in Jerez on Saturday, storming to a dominant pole position on home soil. The Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider was on top throughout the session with star rookie Alex Rins stepping up to challenge his compatriot in second.
Most of the headline lap times were set in the early stages with the soaring track temperatures having a detrimental effect on grip levels. Jonas Folger leapt to the top of the leaderboard after five minutes with a 1:43.478 but Rabat hit the front a couple of minutes later and the reigning champion wouldn’t be headed from that point on as he eased clear of the competition.
Showing signs of his metronomic best, Rabat was relentless as he continued to lower his own benchmark time and shortly before the halfway stage, Tito broke into the 1:42s to move half a second clear of Folger who was now stranded in the pits with electrical problems. Rins took advantage of the German’s misfortune to snatch second on a 1:43.179 but with the intense heat preventing any further improvements, Folger did at least hang on to a front row starting slot.
Championship leader Johann Zarco didn’t enjoy his afternoon in the sun with a crash at turn two severely disrupting his session and denying him an opportunity to set a lap time when conditions were at their best. As a result, he will line up on the third row with Thomas Luthi, Takaaki Nakagami and Sam Lowes on the second row while Sandro Cortese and Axel Pons will line up just ahead of the Frenchman in ninth.
MOTO2 GRAN PREMIO BWIN DE ESPANA – QUALIFYING RESULT
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