Misano Adriatico (Italy): Francesco Bagnaia claimed the position of the fourth consecutive MotoGP pole on Saturday after the amazing comeback in Misano who gave Ducati driver a great opportunity to extend the title race this season.
The Italian Bagnaia has occupied the times in the first qualifying session for the Emilia-Romagna race to enter Q2 after walking poorly in a third morning practice and then charged to the best time one minute, 33.045 seconds to take the first place on the grid, only 0.25sec His teammate Jack Miller.
BaNaia is 52 points behind the leader of the Fabio Quartaro Championship with three remaining races this season and with Yamaha riders starting Sunday races in the 15th BaNaia can extend their battle for at least one week.
Bagnaia needs to keep the gap in the overall standings between him and Quartararo to less than 50 and will like his chances when he defeats the Frenchman at the same circuit at San Marino MotoGP in September.
It was a pleasant afternoon for Ducati at home because the three front row places claimed by the Italian team, with Luca Marini, Palentian Valentino Rossi who drove an Avinia satellite team which ended at 1: 33,130.
“I keep feeling like I have a little more in the tank, so I can cut my time but it’s not like today,” Miller told Sky Sport Italia.
“It’s fun to see the three ducatis here and hopefully we can finish like that tomorrow too.” The strong finish for the Rossi motorcycle legend in his last MotoGP in Italy was impossible because the winner seven times will begin in the 23rd position in the grid.
Rossi, 42, will say ‘Ciao’ to local fan forces on Sunday when the Italian Sporting icon prepares to drop curtains on one of the biggest sports career.
Rossi has failed to set a track during a slow march to retirement at the end of the season and sit 21 in the overall standings after only making the top 10 throughout the season.