MotoGP: Marquez pips Rossi and Crutchlow for pole with fastest ever lap

Marc Marquez will start on pole position for the 2017 British Grand Prix after making history in qualifying at Silverstone this afternoon.

The Repsol Honda star recorded the first ever sub-two minute two-wheeled lap of the 2.6 second circuit, shattering his own pole record, to clinch pole from nemesis Valentino Rossi by an astonishing 0.084sec.

Rossi was almost 0.4 seconds up on Marquez before narrowly missing out on pole, but the nine-time world champion will be glad of a front row start as he looks to repeat his 2015 British GP success.

Cal Crutchlow had local fans cheering as he completed the front row, just 0.08 from Rossi’s time to push 2016 winner Maverick Vinales back to fourth.

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Jorge Lorenzo will in the middle of the second row ahead of team-mate Andrea Dovizioso.

Dani Pedrosa found some improvement on Saturday after finishing 18^th on Friday’s times, the second Repsol Honda earned his spot in Q2 with the fastest lap of the weekend at that point in the first qualifying session.

Johann Zarco sits in the middle of row three ahead of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and Jonas Folger, who joined Pedrosa in progressing from Q1.

Pol Espargaro starts eleventh after a mid-session crash on the KTM while Scott Redding rounds out the Q2 qualifiers.

Bradley Smith was able to improve his time to move up to 19^th with Sam Lowes starting his home Grand Prix in 23^rd. 

Pick up this week’s MCN for a 32-page British Grand Prix special, including exclusive interviews, the best places to watch, what makes a perfect GP bike and more!