MotoGP 2016: Lorenzo blitzes lap record to grab pole in Valencia

Jorge Lorenzo's last hurrah with Yamaha sees the Spaniard smash the lap record for pole at the season finale. Marc Marquez in 2nd and Valentino Rossi in 3rd complete the first row.

With a blistering lap record of 1 min 29.401s, Jorge Lorenzo grabbed the pole position as well as all the headlines in the qualifying round of the season finale in Valencia. Marc Marquez was the only other rider to get in the 1m29 alongside Lorenzo, but he could only manage to take the 2^nd spot on the grid. Valentino Rossi completes the front row for the race tomorrow in 3rd position.

The last round of the 2016 MotoGP in Valencia is also Lorenzo’s last race outing with Yamaha. While this year hadn’t exactly been the best for Lorenzo statistically, the Spaniard made quite a statement with his performance at the circuit today. During the final qualifying, Lorenzo put the hammer down straightaway by putting a flying lap of 1m29.849s in his first run. In the remainder of the session, Lorenzo relentlessly went on to better his lap-times with a 1m29.613s, and finally set a new circuit lap record of 1m29.401s. Recently crowned 2016 world champion Marquez tried his best to unsettle Lorenzo from the top but he couldn't lap faster than 1m29.741s, and had to settle for the 2nd spot.

While Rossi doesn’t look like a threat to his teammate for the final race, he improved his pace drastically to take the final spot on the front row. Leading the second row is Lorenzo’s replacement for next season, Maverick Vinales, on his Suzuki. He will be joined by Andrea Dovizioso (5^th) of Ducati and Pol Espargaro (6^th) of the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team.

Andrea Iannone finished in 7^th while Dani Pedrosa, who returned to the paddock after a horrific injury in Motegi, managed to take a solid 8^th spot. Aleix Espargaro and Bradley Smith complete the top ten in 9^th and 10^th, respectively. Cal Crutchlow will start 11th with Danilo Petrucci in 12^th.

KTM, which will be entering the premier class full-time in 2017, is taking part in the season finale as a wildcard entry with its lead test rider Mika Kallio at the helm. Kallio finished 20^th in the qualifying with the fastest lap time of 1m32.092s.