MotoGP Austin: Martin takes pole as Ducati dominate at COTA

Ducati power was on full display at the Circuit of the Americas as Jorge Martin stole pole position from the factory riders.

The Pramac rider’s 2’02.039 sealed the deal after a Q1 fight with Lenovo teammates Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia joining him in Parc Ferme for the front row celebrations. Just over a tenth covered the hard-charging trio with Desmosedici’s locking out the entirety of the top five.

The hunt to control the COTA grid began with last week’s podium sitters Aleix Espargaro, Martin and Alex Rins battling for promotion through Q1. The second Aprilia of Maverick Viñales joining the fight alongside KTM’s Miguel Oliveira and Yamaha’s Franky Morbidelli and Andrea Dovizioso to showcase the depth of the current MotoGP field.

Darryn Binder’s afternoon got off to the worst start as he crashed out at turn three for his third crash of the weekend on the WithU RNF Yamaha. Rins hitting the top two-tenths clear from Espargaro with Morbidelli and Vinales behind as the opening laps came in.

Martin was the next to strike with a 2’02.4 as yellow flags came back out after Remy Gardner lost the Tech3 KTM at the final corner. Viñales and Alex Marquez yet to set a time at the halfway stage alongside the two fallers.

Espargaro’s hopes disappeared in the dust with three minutes on the clock as turn eight caught the recent winner out. Martin bailing out of a lap with a train of four riders in his wake as the clock counted down.

Viñales claimed fourth on his penultimate lap, six-tenths shy of the Pramac man’s target with a 2’03.1, his final effort failing to better as he joined his Aprilia teammate on the head of row five for Sunday’s race. Martin and Rins advancing through to the final shootout with Brad Binder setting the fastest