Remy:  “It’s just incredible! I didn’t even know I was on the front row until half the lap was done, I looked at a screen and saw second. It’s a fantastic feeling, I definitely didn’t expect to be here some months ago with two broken legs. I made a great comeback and honestly, I’m pretty lost for words at the moment.”

The track dried for Moto2 qualifying at the end of the afternoon, and once again times were as close as paint in spite of the long track, the top 15 inside one second of points leader Pecco Bagnaia’s 2m 8.153s.

Bagnaia only got it at the finish, the SKY VR46 Kalex rider displacing Tech 3’s Remy Gardner from a career-first pole by a couple of tenths.

Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex) completes the front row; with free practice leader Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Kalex) heading row two from second SKY rider Luca Marini and Speed Up’s Fabio Quartararo.

The usual suspects were close: Mattia Pasini’s Kalex heading the KTMs of Iker Lecuona and home boy Sam Lowes on row three; rookie Romano Fenati, Xavi Vierge and Lorenzo Baldassari (all Kalex) on the fourth.

But the closeness of the times left hot rookie Joan Mir (EG-VDS Kalex) languishing in 14th, although less than nine tenths off pole; while erstwhile title leader Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) was a troubled 25th, 1.8 seconds off. His team-mate Brad Binder was 16th-fastest.

By Michael Scott