Iannone claims first pole; Marquez suffers worst qualifying effort
SCARPERIA, Italy -- Italian Andrea Iannone will start from pole position for the first time in his Moto GP career after edging out Jorge Lorenzo in a fast qualifying session for his home Grand Prix on Saturday.
Iannone, diagnosed with an arm fracture earlier this week, beat Lorenzo by 0.095 seconds on the Mugello circuit. Andrea Dovizioso -- 0.121 seconds slower than his Ducati teammate Iannone -- completes the front row.
Points leader Valentino Rossi, a clear crowd favorite, was 0.434 slower than Iannone and will start Sunday's race from eighth.
Two-time defending champion Marc Marquez fared even worse as he failed to make Q2 for the first time in his career. The Spaniard, who has never qualified outside the top six in MotoGP, will start in 13th position.
The top 11 all set laps quicker than the track record. Lorenzo had smashed fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa's previous record by a second in free practice three, with the first ever lap under 1 minute, 47 seconds at Mugello by a Moto GP rider.
Rossi leads Yamaha teammate Lorenzo by 15 points. Dovizioso is four points further back.
Click here for the full MotoGP Qualifying results.
