LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami took his first ever MotoGP pole position for the Alcaniz Grand Prix, pipping both last weekend’s race winner Alex Rins and the SRT of Franco Morbidelli on his last flying lap.
The number 30 rider put in a lap time of 1:46.882 just as the clock ran out, a time that was six-tenths faster than the second place rider of Morbidelli.
Aragon GP winner Alex Rins will start from third on the grid for tomorrow’s race, after making way for the Honda and Yamaha pilots.
The second qualifying session proved to be tightly-knit with riders such as Johann Zarco as well as the sole factory Yamaha of Maverick Viñales lighting up the timing screen’s on their final efforts.
Viñales and Zarco managed to achieve a second-row start, placing their bikes in fourth and fifth on the grid respectively as Q2 came to a close.
Iker Lecuona meanwhile made his first ever Q2 appearance having managed the sixth fastest time in FP3, though the Tech 3 man was unable to match this feat in qualifying, instead posting a time good enough for 11th ahead of only struggling championship leader Joan Mir.
After a difficult start to the weekend, hopes were high that Ducati could turn around its form somewhat and at least salvage a decent starting position for one of its ’20 spec Desmosedici machines.
These hopes were unfounded though as Jack Miller lost out on a chance of improving his leading Q1 time towards the end of the session in order to help title contending stable-mate Andrea Dovizioso.
While Dovizioso was unable to improve and slipped to a lowly 17th by the time Q1 came to a close, Miller was shuffled out of the top two placings by Pol Espargaro and Zarco at the death-losing any chance of a pole shootout appearance.
The Aussie’s Pramac team-mate Francesco Bagnaia could only manage 18th ahead of the second factory entry of Danilo Petrucci a further spot back in 19th.
