MotoGP – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuito de Jerez, Jerez, Spain – July 18, 2020 Fabio Quartararo of Petronas Yamaha SRT in action during practice REUTERS / Marcelo Del Pozo
JEREZ, Spain (Reuters) – Petronas Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo will start from pole position in Spanish MotoGP on Sunday after setting a qualifying lap record of one minute and 36.705 seconds at Jerez on Saturday.
The Frenchman broke his own lap record previously set in third free practice and crossed the finish line ahead of Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales and Honda’s World Champion Marc Marquez in a hectic final session that saw three riders crash.
Suzuki’s Alex Rins crashed at Turn 11 and was rushed to the medical center, where a shoulder dislocation and fracture were confirmed before being rushed to the hospital.
“Alex had severe pain in his right shoulder after the crash,” said the Suzuki team.
“He was taken to Clinica Mobile for an x-ray, where doctors found a fracture and dislocation and administered a mild sedative to relieve the pain.”
Pramac Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia finished fourth while his teammate Jack Miller, battling for pole before slipping at Turn 11 on his final lap, will join him on the second row of Sunday’s race.
LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow narrowly missed fifth on the grid and finished 0.001 seconds behind Miller.
The race at Jerez will be the first of the 2020 MotoGP season after a long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reporting by Simon Jennings and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ed Osmond