Share

Close quali for 2015 Le Mans MotoGP

LE MANS, France - Marc Marquez stormed to pole position for Sunday's 2015 French MotoGP with a qualifying lap more than a half-second quicker than his grid rivals at Le Mans on Saturday (May 16)

Honda's two-times Spanish champion posted a flying lap of 1min32.246. Second was Andrea Dovizioso with former two-times titleholder Jorge Lorenzo's Yamaha third.

SEEKING DOMINANCE

British rider Cal Crutchlow will start from fourth ahead of Andrea Iannone, another Briton Bradley Smith, with championship leader Valentino Rossi only seventh.

Marquez, hoping for a dominant performance this weekend to climb up the Rossi-led standings from fourth after an indifferent start to his third season, coped best with a greasy track surface after heavy rain during the earlier practice sessions.

The 22-year-old rider, who has recovered from a broken pinky finger suffered in the run-up to the previous race in Jerez, topped the times despite a slide at Turn 10 on his first run.

This was his second pole of the season after Argentina and his 25th in only 41 MotoGP races.

France's Fabio Quartararo (Honda) took pole for the Moto3, with Spain's Alex Rins heading the pack in Moto2.

2015 French MotoGP qualifyng

1 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda  1min32.246
2 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati 1min32.749
3 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 1min32.846
4 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Honda 1min32.897
5 Andrea Iannone (Italy) Ducati 1min33.001
6 Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha 1min33.299
7 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 1min33.352
8 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda  1min33.419
9 Danilo Petrucci (Italy) Ducati 1min33.556
10 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Suzuki 1min33.665

Moto3 qualifying
1 Fabio Quartararo (France) Honda 1min44.763
2 Jorge Navarro (Spain) Honda 1min44.885
3 Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) Mahindra 1min45.457
4 Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic) KTM 1min45.575
5 Romano Fenati (Italy) KTM 1min45.665
6 Jules Danilo (France) Honda 1min45.671
7 Niccolo Antonelli (Italy) Honda 1min45.689
8 Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) KTM 1min46.011
9 Isaac Vinales (Spain) Husqvarna 1min46.234
10 Tatsuki Suzuki (Japan) Mahindra 1min46.846

Moto2 qualifying

1 Alex Rins (Spain) Kalex 1min37.114
2 Sam Lowes (Britain) Speed up 1min37.114
3 Johann Zarco (France) Kalex 1min37.222
4 Tito Rabat (Spain) Kalex 1min37.329
5 Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) Kalex 1min37.415
6 Thomas Luethi (Switzerland) Kalex 1min37.442
7 Luis Salom (Spain) Kalex 1min37.641
8 Xavier Simeon (Belgium) Kalex 1min37.645
9 Julian Simon (Spain) Speed up 1min37.724
10 Randy Krummenacher (Switzerland) Kalex 1min37.764

Stay with Wheels24 for the 2015 MotoGP season – fresh reports every week.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE