MotoGP Czech Republic: Lorenzo on pole, Rossi third

Former two-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo took his second pole position of the 2015 season ahead of defending double world champion Marc Marquez and his Yamaha teammate and former seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi.

The Yamaha due of Lorenzo and Rossi being split by Honda's Marquez sets up an intriguing front row of the grid for Sunday's race at the famed venue of Brno in the Czech Republic. Riding aboard the previous year's chassis - owing to a disastrous start to the season - Marquez has been in fine form of late, winning two of the last three races and finishing a close second to Rossi in the race he did not win.

The 36-year-old Italian MotoGP legend is leading the championship standings but has seen his once comfortable points cushion in the early part of the season eroded after Lorenzo went on a charge to win four straight races from the Spanish Grand Prix to the Catalunya GP. The Spaniard has, however, had to settle for fewer points in the last three races owing to Marquez's resurgence and Rossi's dogged charges through the field after relatively poor qualifying performances.

It is what makes Rossi's third place on the grid that much more significant as he will have a relatively clear run to the front of the field should he be able to bolt off the start line.

'Best of the rest' behind Rossi is Italy's Andrea Iannone riding a factory Ducati that seems less rapid than it did in the start of the season as the Italian squad has had to relinquish some of its tyre and fuel concessions that were given to it under MotoGP's sporting regulations in order to increase competition.

Bradley Smith on a satellite Yamaha, Andrea Dovizioso on a factory Ducati, Maverick Vinales on a Suzuki, Pol Espargaro on a satellite Yamaha, Dani Pedrosa on a factory Honda and Cal Crutchlow on a factory Honda round out the top ten in the 25-rider field, which is covered by almost five seconds.