Mattia Pasini claimed his first Grand Prix pole position for ten years after dominating qualifying at Brno. The Italian hadn’t started from the front since the 2007 125cc Australian Grand Prix but never truly looked under threat this afternoon, taking pole ahead of Miguel Oliveira and championship leader Franco Morbidelli.
With temperatures soaring, many riders found conditions at their best in the early stages of the session with Pasini clocking a 2:02.611 in the first eight minutes, a time that wouldn’t be beaten for the rest of the afternoon. Although he wouldn’t ultimately beat Mattia’s time, Oliveira showed impressive consistency on his way to second, setting several laps in the 2:02s range, suggesting he will pose a great threat tomorrow.
Morbidelli, who enters the second half of the season with a 34 point championship lead, looks well placed to extend his advantage having qualified third, especially with Thomas Luthi qualifying a lowly twelfth to equal his worst starting spot of the season. Francesco Bagnaia starts fourth after bucking the trend of riders to go quicker early in proceedings, pipping fellow rookie Jorge Navarro in the dying seconds.
Alex Marquez starts sixth ahead of Luca Marini with Sandro Cortese eighth on the sole remaining Dynavolt Suter following team-mate Marcel Schrotter’s withdrawal through injury. Simone Corsi qualified ninth but the Speed Up rider is likely to face a penalty after wiping out Dominique Aegerter during a flying lap.
Moto2 Monster Energy Grand Prix Ceske Republiky: Qualifying
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