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Sepang – world champion Marc Marquez snatched pole position Saturday for the MotoGP from Malaysia Despite falling in a race filled with tragedies and rain, obscuring the hopes of Andrea Dovizioso to win his third consecutive victory at Sepang.
It was the 80th pole position of the career of the Spanish sensation, who was crowned for the fifth time champion of the Queen category of motorcycling.
Saturday's action got off to a bad start after a delay of more than an hour in qualifying, while a sudden monsoon rain hit the track in this tropical Southeast Asian country.
But the weather improved afterwards, allowing the Honda brand to set the fastest time in 2 minutes and 12.161 seconds.
Yamaha's Johann Zarco took second place at 0.548, while Italian legend Valentino Rossi – who won six wins in Malaysia – completed the first row.
Marquez managed to maintain his lead despite a fall after about 10 minutes, which saw him fall from the saddle while his bike slipped into a tight bend.
He got up safe and sound, quickly changed his bike and continued to run.
"Today, I enjoy one of my strongest points, that is, I adapt very quickly to the conditions," Marquez said.
He said that during the last test session earlier Saturday, when the rain started to fall, he had the opportunity to try the track in wet conditions, which means that He was ready for the qualifying race.
Zarco's hopes of winning another MotoGP podium on Sunday, after his third place at Sepang last year, were rewarded by his good performance.
The Frenchman said his performance was "not good enough for pole, but good enough to be second and give me a lot of luck for tomorrow."
"It would be good to be on the podium tomorrow," he added.
But Dovizioso Ducati was disappointed, he crashed late in the race and finished only by the fifth time.
This result compromised his hopes of winning for the third time in a row in Malaysia and finishing the season as a finalist.
He is currently second overall with Rossi, a nine-time world champion, last time winner in Malaysia in 2010, just 15 points down from third place.
The organizers have decided to postpone the Sunday Grand Prix for two hours in order to avoid the heavy rains that usually fall later in the afternoon in Malaysia.
"For me, it's a wise choice (to hold) the race at 1 pm We'll have more chances to make a run dry." Rossi said.
"If we wait until 15:00, maybe we will not run."
The sudden heavy showers and humidity have long been a challenge for Malaysian Grand Prix riders. The last two editions of the race have both been hit by torrential rains.
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