A crash early in a drama-filled Moto3 qualifying session cost Jorge Martin his fifth pole in a row and the 14th in his short career – although the Spanish Del Conca Honda rider did bounce back to place a close second.
It was another Honda ahead (and another five immediately behind), as Leopard team rider Enea Bastianini grabbed his first pole of the season by better than a tenth.
It was a good afternoon for graduates of the Asia Talent Cup, with Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Honda) third, his second successive front row; and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Honda) a close fourth.
Aron Canet (EG Honda) and another Japanese rider, Kaito Toba (Team Asia Honda) completed the second row, Only then the first KTMs, with three of them – John McPhee (Green Power), Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA) and title leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox Prustel) – filling row three.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Honda) completed the top ten; podium regular Fabio di Giannantonio (Del Conca Honda) slipped into 13th, after missing most of the session after falling on his out lap.
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- Bastianini, Catalunya Moto3 2018
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- Martin, Bastianini, Suzuki, Catalunya Moto3 2018