Martin sets lap record to grab pole position at San Marino GP

MISANO ADRIATICO : Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin twice set a lap record on Saturday to capture pole position for the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano Adriatico, as championship leader Francesco Bagnaia recovered from last week's crash to seal a spot on the front row.

Spaniard Martin began with a scorching lap of one minute 30.832 seconds, bettering Marco Bezzecchi's previous record set during practice on Friday, before topping the timesheets by improving on his own mark with a time of 1:30.390.

Bezzecchi kept up his pace from Friday to take second spot, while Ducati's MotoGP world champion Bagnaia, who had his leg run over in a crash at the Catalan Grand Prix, ended third.

The three riders occupy the top three spots in the overall standings, setting up an exciting weekend.

Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, the 2021 world champion, did not advance to the second qualifying session after finishing third-fastest in Q1.

Italian Enea Bastianini, who underwent surgery in Modena on Monday after fracturing his left hand and ankle at the Catalunya GP, will miss Misano as well as upcoming races in India and Japan.