Valencia MotoGP Qualifying Results | Martin nabs pole after works Ducatis crash

Jorge Martin will start the final race of an impressive rookie MotoGP campaign from pole position after snatching the top spot from under the nose of his factory Ducati counterparts in qualifying for the Valencia MotoGP.

The Spaniard - who is locked in a battle with Enea Bastianini for the Rookie of the Year honours this weekend - was in fine form around his home circuit to punch in the best time during the closing seconds of a fast and frantic session. 

Setting a time of 1m 29.936, the result marks his fourth pole position of the season and a fifth of the year for his Pramac Ducati team. 

Even so, he did have some fortune to be running on track ahead of Pecco Bagnaia - going for his sixth consecutive pole position - who had just fired in the fastest time of the session, only to suffer a low speed slide off at Turn 2 as he was winding up for his final flyer.

Leaving his spinning Ducati in the middle of the circuit, Bagnaia’s fall had the effect of ruining the laps of several riders following behind him, allowing Martin a clean run at pole position almost unopposed.

Even so, it looked like Martin’s efforts would be usurped by Jack Miller on the other factory Ducati as he posted fastest sector times coming into the final segment, only to also low slide off the track.

Despite their tumbles, Bagnaia and Miller completed an all-Ducati front row, with Suzuki’s Joan Mir preventing a top four lock out by going fourth, just ahead of Johann Zarco on the second of the Pramac machines.

Though he had to come through Q1, Alex Rins was on form to give Suzuki a double top six in sixth, while Brad Binder joined the Spaniard in making the most of his additional track time as the only KTM rider to reach Q2 in seventh.

New champion Fabio Quartararo was one of the riders caught out by Bagnaia’s fall, leaving him a frustrated eighth days after pointed comments that the Yamaha cannot compete with its rivals when it is having to fight back from middling grid positions.

Takaaki Nakagami was the only Honda highlight in a tough day, with Alex Marquez - fourth in Portimao last weekend - down in 19th after a crash in Q1, while Pol Espargaro didn’t take part at all after a heavy crash in FP3 that could rule him out of the final race of the year too.

Ahead of his very final MotoGP race, Valentino Rossi cracked Q2 for only the sixth time this year and made good for a tenth place start, ahead of Yamaha counterpart Franco Morbidelli in 11th and Aleix Espargaro in 12th.

Elsewhere, Bastianini faces a tough task to keep pole sitter Martin behind him in the fight for Rookie of the Year. The Italian leads his rival by three points, but starts down in 18th.

2021 Valencia MotoGP | Ricardo Tormo | Qualifying Results