MISANO ADRIATICO (Italy): Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo took Yamaha’s first pole position of the MotoGP season and the 30th of his career at the San Marino Grand Prix on Saturday while world champion Marc Marquez had to settle for the second row.

Italian Andrea Iannone qualified second on a Ducati, just 0.051 seconds off the pace, with Lorenzo’s team-mate and nine time champion Valentino Rossi completing the front row at Misano after finishing a further 0.064 slower.

Spaniard Marquez, winner of 11 of the 12 races so far, will start from fourth place on the grid — his worst qualifying of the season — with Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa fifth on a dry track.

Marquez has an 89 point lead over compatriot Pedrosa, his closest rival.

The 27-year-old double world champion Lorenzo, whose last pole was at Japan’s Motegi circuit last October, has won for the past three years at Misano and trails Marquez by 131 points.

Published in Dawn, September 14th , 2014