Johann Zarco has set the stage for another shootout with Tito Rabat after winning their private battle over pole position at Assen. The two were in a class of their own with no other riders featuring in the fight for pole, Sam Lowes ending up a distant third and the only other rider within a second of the fastest time.
Once the lap times settled down early in qualifying, it quickly became apparent that only two riders had a realistic shot at pole position with Rabat going quickest on a 1:37.360, only to be usurped by Zarco with a lap 0.134s faster. Moments later, Rabat became the first rider to break into the 1:36s and by the halfway stage, the reigning champion had a half second cushion at the top.
With Marc Marquez’s Moto2 lap record already obliterated, Rabat’s time initially looked unbeatable but with sixteen minutes remaining, Zarco claimed the record for himself with a 1:36.346, three tenths clear of the Marc VDS rider. In the closing stages, Lowes finally began to show his hand, going under the old circuit record himself, but the Briton’s 1:36.878 was only good enough for a spot on the outside of the front row.
Simone Corsi starts fourth ahead of Jonas Folger with Xavier Simeon sixth quickest for Gresini. Alex Rins will go in search of his maiden Moto2 win from seventh on the grid with Thomas Luthi and Lorenzo Baldassarri with Takaaki Nakagami completing the top ten.
MOTO2 MOTUL TT ASSEN – QUALIFYING RESULT
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