MotoGP Japan: Lorenzo bests Rossi for pole

Just 0.081 seconds. That was all that separated the factory Yamaha rider pairing of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at the 4.8km long Twin Ring Motegi. The Spaniard beat the Italian MotoGP legend for pole with a lap of 1:43.790.

The 2010 and 2012 MotoGP champion clinched his third pole position of the season in the dying minutes of the session with Rossi looking good to take his first pole since the Dutch TT in late June.

The two MotoGP title rivals are separated by just 14 points with Rossi leading Lorenzo and four races still left to run, including tomorrow's race.

Joining the two on the front row is Honda's reigning double MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez, whose left hand has still not fully healed after the Spaniard broke it while training on a bicycle.

Riding through the pain barrier, Marquez was over four tenths of a second slower than Lorenzo who is coming off a dominant win at the Aragon GP in Spain where he cut the points gap to Rossi on account of the Italian being beaten to second place by Honda's Dani Pedrosa.

Pedrosa qualified sixth for the Japanese GP behind the Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone and ahead of Suzuki's Aleiz Esparagaro, LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha's Bradley Smith and Suzuki's Maverick Vinales.