MotoGP: Valentino Rossi stuns rivals with pole position at Spanish Grand Prix, from Lorenzo and Marquez

JORGE Lorenzo thought he’d done all he needed to secure pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.Then along came Valentino Rossi.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Italian rider Valentino Rossi rides during the MotoGP Free Practice 4 of the Spanish Grand Prix at the Jerez racetrack in Jerez de la Frontera on April 23, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Cristina Quicler

JORGE Lorenzo thought he’d done all he needed to secure pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix, narrowly staving off the challenge of Marc Marquez.

Then along came Valentino Rossi.

The Doctor made time stand still once again by undercutting both his younger rivals to take the 62nd pole position across all of MotoGP’s classes - tying him with Lorenzo - and his first at Jerez since 2005.

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The battle for the top spot appeared to be between the locals, Lorenzo holding sway early before Marquez trumped him on their first runs.

Lorenzo hit back with a 1m38.858s lap on his next run, Marquez falling short by just 0.033 of a second after a slower final sector.

Rossi shot to the top in the closing moments, undercutting his Yamaha teammate by 0.122 of a second, a time neither Lorenzo nor Marquez could touch.

Valentino Rossi has taken pole for the Spanish Grand Prix.

It gives Rossi his third front row in succession, the first time he has achieved that feat since 2009 - the year he won his last world title.

“We worked a lot because last year we struggled during qualifying,” he said.

“This year, with the Michelin tyres, I feel better and I already started on the front row two times, but pole position is something different, especially here in Jerez.”

A fast start will be crucial to Rossi’s hopes of converting pole to a victory, crucial to boosting his title hopes after crashing out of the last race at Austin.

Jorge Lorenzo was beaten to the Spanish Grand Prix pole by Valentino Rossi.

“I knew I could be competitive, but during the last races we had some problems and I made a mistake in Austin,” he said. “We didn’t take the results we expected, so we have to start doing so now.

“For sure tomorrow will be very hard with Lorenzo and Marquez, but we are there and we can fight.”

The leading trio were the only ones to break into the 1m38s-bracket.

Next best - best of the rest, really - was Andrea Dovizioso on the first of the Ducatis, eight tenths of a second off pole position.

Marc Marquez has qualified third fastest for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The two Suzukis complete the second row, young gun Maverick Vinales just 0.001s shy of eclipsing Dovizioso’s time and edging teammate Aleix Espargaro by 0.007s.

Dani Pedrosa heads the third row, almost a second off Rossi’s pace, from Pol Espargaro and private Ducati rider Hector Barbera. Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Iannone and Loris Baz completed the top 12.

Jack Miller continued to bravely battle on with his injured right ankle, riding through the pain to qualify 19th, two spots ahead of teammate Tito Rabat.

Originally published as MotoGP: Valentino Rossi stuns rivals with pole position at Spanish Grand Prix, from Lorenzo and Marquez