2017 Catalunya MotoGP Qualifying Results
For the second time this season, Dani Pedrosa will start from pole. The Repsol Honda RC213V pilot wasted no time getting up to speed during free practice at Catalunya for round six of 2017 MotoGP, and improved on this momentum during Saturday’s 15-minute qualifying session (Q2).
Before a home crowd, Pedrosa was the only MotoGP rider to break the 1:44 barrier; he claimed the pole with a 1:43.870. This was Pedrosa’s 30th MotoGP pole, and the 48th of his GP career.
Joining Pedrosa on the front row for the Catalan Grand Prix are Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo and Octo Pramac Racing Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci. Lorenzo, who achieved his first front-row start for Ducati, finished 0.331 of a second behind Pedrosa. Petrucci, who claimed a podium last week at Mugello MotoGP, was 0.350 of a second off the pace.
This was Pedrosa’s second pole position of 2017 MotoGP. His other arrived at Jerez, where he claimed his only victory so far this season.
“I’m very happy because taking pole is always very difficult, and doing it in front of your home fans is just amazing,” Pedrosa says. “Last year we struggled a lot in qualifying, while this season we’ve already earned two poles, so I wish to thank my team for the good work.
“We’ve worked really hard on this aspect, and we’re getting better and better. The conditions were quite difficult today, especially for the tires as it was very hot and the grip wasn’t the best. We tried to manage the situation as well as possible, working a lot on the setup to improve tyre life. The tires will be the key to the race tomorrow; it’d be great to have the same feeling from today, but we’ll wait and see. We’ll just remain focused and be prepared to do our best.”
Heading up row two is the reigning MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez on the other factory Repsol Honda. Marquez suffered a few crashes Saturday, but was able to qualify fourth. Joining him on row two are Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espagaro and Reale Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera.
Last week’s Mugello MotoGP race winner, Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso, qualified on top of row three in seventh. He will be joined by Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Jonas Folger and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales.
As for nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, who suffered some chest injuries during a motocross-training crash in Italy two weeks ago, he missed the cut for Q1 qualifying, and will start in 13th.
The riders return for 25 laps around the 2.94-mile circuit containing 13 corners. The Catalunya MotoGP begins at 2 p.m. local time.
Photo by Luciano Bianchetto
2017 Catalunya MotoGP Qualifying Results:
| Pos. | Rider | Manufacturer | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Pedrosa | Honda | ESP | 01’43.870 |
| 2 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | ESP | 01’44.201 |
| 3 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | ITA | 01’44.220 |
| 4 | Marc Marquez | Honda | ESP | 01’44.320 |
| 5 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | ESP | 01’44.348 |
| 6 | Hector Barbera | Ducati | ESP | 01’44.381 |
| 7 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | ITA | 01’44.451 |
| 8 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha | DEU | 01’44.600 |
| 9 | Maverick Viñales | Yamaha | ESP | 01’44.620 |
| 10 | Alvaro Bautista | Ducati | ESP | 01’44.740 |
| 11 | Scott Redding | Ducati | GBR | 01’44.852 |
| 12 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | ITA | 01’44.928 |
| 13 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | ITA | 01’44.661 |
| 14 | Johann Zarco | Yamaha | FRA | 01’44.681 |
| 15 | Jack Miller | Honda | AUS | 01’44.829 |
2017 Catalunya MotoGP Qualifying Results | Photo Gallery
