MOTOGP: Marquez takes commanding Barcelona pole

Marc Marquez secured Honda's fifth Barcelona MotoGP pole position in six years, topping qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix by nearly half a second.

Marquez threw down the challenge immediately, setting a time of 1m43.905s on his first flying lap, nearly one second faster than the previous best lap of the day. It put Marquez 0.547 seconds ahead of Jorge Lorenzo after the first runs, with Dani Pedrosa third and the only other rider within one second.

In the closing minutes, Lorenzo improved to a 1m44.056s, reducing Marquez's advantage to 0.151s. There was more to come from Marquez, who improved to a 1m43.589s as the checkered flag was shown, to finish 0.467s clear at the top of the field.

Despite Honda's Barcelona qualifying form, Marquez's third pole position of the 2016 season is his first at the track.

Yamaha's Lorenzo will be in the middle of two Hondas on the front row on Sunday, with Pedrosa qualifying third, his best qualifying result since the 2015 season finale at Valencia.

Hector Barbera starred on his GP14.2 Avintia Ducati, the Spaniard advancing from the first phase of qualifying to take fourth in the main session, just 0.015s slower than Pedrosa.

Valentino Rossi jumped up from ninth to fifth after the chequered flag, displacing practice pacesetter Maverick Vinales, the Suzuki rider finishing sixth and seven tenths off pole.

LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow will start seventh, ahead of a pack of four Ducatis, with factory riders Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso eighth and 10th, and Pramac's Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding ninth and 11th.

The 2015 polesitter, Suzuki's Aleix Espargaro, did not advance from the first phase of qualifying and will start 13th, one spot ahead of Bradley Smith.

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Originally on Autosport.com