ASSEN, Netherlands - Italian great Valentino Rossi took pole position on Friday ahead of the 2015 Dutch MotoGP round on Saturday (June 27 2015) with the fastest lap yet on a motorbike around the Assen circuit.
The Yamaha rider, leading Spanish team mate Jorge Lorenzo by one point in the Riders' championship, smashed Australian Casey Stoner's 2012 pole record with a lap of 1min32.627.
The pole, on a sunny afternoon at the Dutch TT, was the 61st of Rossi's career but his first since 2015’s final round in Valencia, Spain.
MARQUEZ ON FRONT ROW
Rossi said later: "Assen is always special for me. I have great memories from here. I’ve won here in the past and a lot of important races in my career took place at this circuit. I love this track, because it's fantastic.”
Suzuki's Aleix Espargaro was second-fastest; current MotoGP champion and fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez, on a Honda, completed the front row.
Lorenzo will start eighth.
Netherlands MotoGP qualifying times
1 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 1min32.627
2 Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Suzuki 1min32.858
3 Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda 1min32.886
4 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 1min32.987
5 Pol Espargaro (Spain) Yamaha 1min33.013
6 Andrea Iannone (Italy) Ducati 1min33.016
7 Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Honda 1min33.028
8 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 1min33.042
9 Maverick Vinales (Spain) Suzuki 1min33.076
10 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati 1min33.112
Moto2 qualifying times
1 Johann Zarco (France) Kalex 1min36.346
2 Tito Rabat (Spain) Kalex 1min36.633
3 Sam Lowes (Britain) Speed up 1min36.878
4 Simone Corsi (Italy) Kalex 1min37.393
5 Jonas Folger (Germany) Kalex 1min37.434
6 Xavier Simeon (Belgium) Kalex 1min37.509
7 Alex Rins (Spain) Kalex 1min37.543
8 Thomas Luethi (Switzerland) Kalex 1min37.585
9 Lorenzo Baldassarri (Italy) Kalex 1min37.591
10 Takaaki Nakagami (Japan) Kalex 1min37.598
Moto3 qualifing tiimes
1 Enea Bastianini (Italy) Honda 1min41.283
2 Jorge Navarro (Spain) Honda 1min41.618
3 Karel Hanika (Czech Republic) KTM 1min41.683
4 Danny Kent (Britain) Honda 1min41.699
5 Isaac Vinales (Spain) Husqvarna 1min41.794
6 Miguel Oliveira (Portugal) KTM 1min41.805
7 Fabio Quartararo (France) Honda 1min41.811
8 Romano Fenati (Italy) KTM 1min41.846
9 Efren Vazquez (Spain) Honda 1min41.980
10 Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) Mahindra 1min42.202
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2015 MotoGP season – fresh reports every week.