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Qualifying has concluded at the Indianapolis MotoGP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez of Spain won his third consecutive pole position at the Indy GP. Team Repsol Honda finished with a 1-2 at the end of qualifying, with Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa due to start in second tomorrow.
Two-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rounds up the first row in third, and said in the post-qualifying interview that this was “extremely important” to him.
6-time world champion Valentino Rossi showed a jump in performance early on in Q2, but he maintained his record of poor qualifying sessions. He will start tomorrow’s race on the third row, in 8th position.
The session also saw strong performances from British riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith of CWM LCR Honda and Monster Yamaha Tech3 respectively.
Crutchlow finished in 5th behind Q1 leader Danilo Petrucci of Octo Pramac. Andrea Iannone, who finished Q1 in second, will start Row 3 ahead of Rossi in 7th.
Youngster Maverick Vinales of Suzuki Ecstar, who has been showing his skill earlier this year, is in 9th with teammate Aleix Espargaro rounding up Q2 in 12th position.
Espargaro’s younger brother Pol, the teammate of Bradley Smith at Monster Yamaha Tech3, finished ahead of him in 11th.
Marquez has had a shaky start to the 2015 racing season, with 3 retirements so far – in Argentina, Italy and most recently at Catalunya. However, he has already managed 4 podium spots this year.
The reigning double world champion (he won the title in 2013 and 2014) will look for his 5th consecutive victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, looking to capitalise on his third pole position on the trot at the venue.
He is currently 4th in the drivers’ standings, led by Rossi with 179 points. Teammate Lorenzo trails immediately behind with 166 – the Spaniard has had 4 back-to-back wins this season, at the grands prix of Spain, France, Italy and Catalunya. His strong start tomorrow could help him catch up to his legendary teammate on race day tomorrow.
