(Reuters) – MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin of Pramac Racing set a lap record to take pole with a sure-footed display in a chaotic qualifying session featuring several crashes at the Indonesia Grand Prix in Mandalika on Saturday.
Martin went fastest with a time of 1:29.088 at the Mandalika International Street Circuit to pip Marco Bezzecchi of VR46 Racing and Tech3’s 20-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta.
“I’m so happy. Today I felt great. I was riding with a lot of used tyres,” Martin said.
Bezzecchi put together a spectacular final lap to finish second-fastest, remounting his bike after crashing with just two minutes left in the qualifying session and claiming a spot on the front row.
Asked how he pulled it off, the Italian said: “Honestly, I don’t know. Before the last lap, I wanted to slow down a bit in the last sector and then take the speed for the last lap.
“I lost a bit of concentration and I crashed. Fortunately, the bike was okay. The marshal helped me to start the bike. I started the last flying lap immediately after the crash.
“I knew I could be fast, but I didn’t imagine the first row. So, what can I say? I’m very happy.”
Twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia, who trails Spaniard Martin by 24 points in the championship standings, qualified fourth on the grid.
Early in Q2, Gresini Racing’s Marc Marquez lost control and slid into the gravel without setting a lap time, with the resulting yellow flag also ruling out the lap times for several other riders.
The Spaniard crashed once again on turn 10 towards the end of the session, taking his tally up to four crashes in his past three Q2 sessions.
Gresini’s Alex Marquez started well in Q1 and led in the first half of the session before suffering a jarring crash and failing to make it into Q2.
Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira did not take part in qualifying after the Portuguese rider fractured his wrist in a crash in Friday’s practice.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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