Johan Zarco became the first French rider to take pole at his home GP since Christian Sarron in 1988, with a fully abandoned lap where the usually super-smooth Yamaha rider twice lost the rear in just a few yards.
His time of 1’31.185 was a new outright track record, and put the independent-team Tech3 rider a full tenth clear of second-fastest Marc Marquez’s response on the Repsol Honda, and all but six tenths faster than the better of the two factory Yamahas, with Maverick Vinales eighth-fastest, and Rossi ninth.
Practice was run in a second day of blue skies and bright sunshine, but with relatively cool air temperature causing a number of crashes during the day, including a spectacularly hard high-side that ended LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow’s bid to get through to Q2, and sent him to hospital for checks.
Zarco credited “the amazing support” of the crowd for finding the extra tenths; while Marquez admitted he was just too fast. But with the top seven inside half a second, he added: “There are three or four riders with a very similar pace, so I think it will be tough to be on the podium.”
Danilo Petrucci was an impressive third fastest, the Pramac Ducati rider having to find his way through from Q1.
Ecstar Suzuki rider Andrea Iannone narrowly leads row two from the factory Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo.
Alma Ducati rider Jack Miller was seventh, to lead row three from the Movistar Yamaha pair Vinales and Rossi, and excited by his prospects after assessing good tyre life during the sessions, and placed so close to the leaders. “I’ll try and stay with them and see what develops – hopefully not a multi-bike crash like they had at Jerez,” he said.
Behind them, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda, also through from Q1) had Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Ducati) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) alongside.
Espargaro had crashed at the very fast Turn One at the start of the 15-minute session, but came back with a time barely 1.3 seconds off pole.
Best of the rest: doubtful starter Crutchlow, from Hafizh Syahrin (Tech3 Yamaha) and Alex Rins (Ecstar Suzuki); with Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Honda) heading row seven from the KTMs of Smith and Espargaro.
Last year’s rookie of the year, Pecco Bagnaia (SKY VR46 Kalex) claimed his first Moto2 pole. Twice a winner this year and heading the championship, Bagnaia was two tenths ahead of Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Kalex), whose attempt to reverse the positions in the last minutes ended in a crash.
Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (HP40 Kalex) completes the front row; charging class rookie, Moto3 champion Joan Mir (EG-VDS Honda) leads row two from second Dynavolt rider Marcel Schrotter and Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Honda).
Sam Lowes (KTM) leads row two from Brad Binder on the top factory KTM, with his Red Bull team-mate Miguel Oliveira leading row three.
Again, times were close, with the top eleven within one second.
Jorge Martin (Del Conca Honda) took pole number five by better than a tenth of a second, outpacing a pack where from second to 22nd were all within one second.
Jakub Kornfeil (Redox KTM) was the man in second, a career best for the Czech Republic rider, with Enea Bastianini (Leopard Honda) taking the last spot on the front row.
Marcos Ramirez led an all-KTM second row from Albert Arenas and Marco Bezzecchi; then Nico Antonelli headed the third from fellow Honda rider Fabio Di Giannantonio and Andrea Migno (KTM).
Aron Canet (EG Honda) qualified tenth, his bid for pole thwarted when he ran over the paint out of the last corner … but will start from the back of the grid as punishment for dangerous riding at Jerez, causing a crash that more than decimated the front pack.
