MotoGP 2017: Marquez storms to pole at British Grand Prix

Marc Marquez obliterates circuit record to claim fourth consecutive pole ahead of Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow in Silverstone. 

That Marc Marquez is a class act is not something that’s to be reminded time and again. Not only does the Spaniard mercilessly goes on blitzing the competition race after race, but his wild riding skills are simply a thing to behold as well. At Silverstone today, the phenomenon that Marquez is was yet again on display. The Repsol Honda rider took the British Grand Prix pole, whilst also managing to smash the circuit lap record in the process.

Marquez looked strong all weekend, albeit the factory Yamahas of Vinales and Rossi looked more composed on the bumpy track at Silverstone. Home hero Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda was also a pole contender as he topped FP2. The final 15-minute shootout, though, was when we’d witness the ultimate showdown. Marquez made his intentions clear from the get go and led the lapboard early on. However, it wasn’t until the final five minutes when all the top riders went for the kill! In his second run, Marquez obliterated the circuit lap record by posting a time of 1m59.941s – the first rider to break the under 2-minute barrier at Silverstone.

None of the other riders could challenge Marquez’ blistering pace – although Rossi came really close and was only 0.084s down on the Spaniard’s lap time. Rossi will start the race in second, ahead of Crutchlow in third. The second row will see Vinales in fourth alongside the factory Ducati duo of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Dani Pedrosa, who made his way up from QP1, was seventh fastest in the session and will be joined by Tech 3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco (8th) and Aprilia’s Aleix Esparagaro (9th) on the third row. Tech 3 Yamaha’s Jonas Folger completed the top ten.

Marquez (174 points) currently leads the championship from Dovizioso (158) and Vinales (150).