Australian GP pole 'really special', says Quartararo after record-breaking lap

PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia :Frenchman Fabio Quartararo said his pole position at the Australian Grand Prix was "really special" after the Yamaha rider shattered the lap record at Phillip Island on Saturday, narrowly beating Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi to the top spot.

Quartararo clocked a stunning time of one minute and 26.465 seconds, edging Italian Bezzecchi by 0.031 seconds to claim his fifth pole position of the season.

The 26-year-old last earned pole at the Dutch Grand Prix in June.

"Really nice. It was a long time since Assen!" Quartararo said. "Today is a really special one because I didn't feel ready to make really a 26.4. The goal was to make 26.7. So, I'm super happy.

"Also, I think our pace is not so bad.

"So, focus on the sprint and let's try to make a great first lap, which will be really important."

Bezzecchi, who looked dominant in practice sessions, setting the previous lap record of 1:26.492 at Phillip Island in MotoGP on Friday, said he was satisfied with Saturday's qualifying result.

The 26-year-old will face a double long lap penalty in Sunday's race following his collision with MotoGP champion Marc Marquez at the Indonesian Grand Prix.

"I'm happy because the target was to reach the first two rows, as always, and we grabbed the first one, so it's even better," Bezzecchi said.

"After yesterday, I was confident that I could do a good lap time ... The conditions were a bit more tough this morning, but the performance was good.

"Now we can focus on the sprint."

Home hope Jack Miller of Prima Pramac thrilled Australian fans by becoming the first local rider since Casey Stoner in 2012 to start on the front row at Phillip Island.

"The Aussie fans are out here in numbers. It's unreal to see," Miller said.

"I'm looking