Australian MotoGP Sunday Race Day Guide
Marc Marquez starts from pole for the 12th time in 2014, which equals the record for most MotoGP poles in a single season held by Casey Stoner from 2011. Phillip Island is one of only two current circuits, along with Sepang, on which Marquez has not won in either the Moto2 or MotoGP class. Marquez is aiming to take his 12th win of 2014 to equal Mick Doohan’s record from 1997 for most premier-class GP wins in a single season
Cal Crutchlow is in second place on the grid – his first front row start of 2014 and the first time since the second race of the year in Austin that he is the top Ducati rider on the grid
Jorge Lorenzo, the winner at Phillip Island last year, starts from third place on the grid – his eighth front row start of the year. Lorenzo has finished either first or second for the last six successive races
Bradley Smith heads the second row– his best qualifying result since he was in fourth place on the grid at Brno
This is the first time that two British riders have qualified in the top four places on the grid for a premier-class Grand Prix race since the Spanish GP at Jerez in 1987, when Niall Mackenzie was in third place on the grid and Rob McElnea qualified in fourth place
Dani Pedrosa, who is in fifth place on the grid, has had just a single win at Phillip Island, which was in the 250 class back in 2005
Aleix Espargaro takes the final place on the second row – his best qualifying result since he was fourth fastest qualifier at Silverstone
Andrea Iannone, who heads the third row of the grid, has had six top six finishes this year
Valentino Rossi, making his 250th start in the premier-class, is in eighth place on the grid: his worst qualifying position since he was 12th on the grid at Assen
Pol Espargaro, who has won the Moto2 race from pole position at Phillip Island for the last two years, starts from ninth place on the grid
Andrea Dovizioso, who was on pole one week ago in Japan, has qualified in tenth place on the grid
Hiroshi Aoyama starts from 12th place on the grid – his best qualifying result since he was 12th fastest qualifier at Phillip Island in 2011
Moto2
Tito Rabat is on pole for the ninth time in 2014, which is a new record for most poles in a single season in the Moto2 class
Johann Zarco has qualified in second place on the grid – his sixth front row start of the yea
Taking the final place on the front row is Mika Kallio, who has not finished in front of championship leader Rabat since he won at Indianapolis
Maverick Viñales heads the second row of the grid. Viñales has already had seven podium finishes, including two wins, in his rookie year in the Moto2 class
Tom Luthi has qualified on the middle of the second row. After winning at the last race in Japan, Luthi will be aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time in his GP career
In sixth place on the grid is Sandro Cortese, who won the 125 race at Phillip Island in 2011 and the Moto3 race in 2012
Sam Lowes is in seventh place on the grid – his best qualifying position since his home race at Silverstone
Moto3
Alex Marquez, who starts from pole for the third time this year, has finished either first or second at the last four race.
Alex Rins is on the front row for the tenth time in 2014. This is the first time since the opening race of the year in Qatar that the Estrella Galicia team-mates have taken the top two places on the grid
Juanfran Guevara is in third place on the grid, equalling his best ever qualifying result from Aragon
Heading the second row of the grid is Danny Kent, who will be aiming to give Husqvarna their first ever GP victory having been the first Husqvarna rider on a GP pole last time out in Japan
John McPhee, who is in fifth place on the grid, had his best ever GP result one week ago in Japan when he finished fourth
Efren Vazquez is in the final place on the second row, which is his best grid position since he started in second place on the grid in Indianapolis – a race he went on to win
Jasper Iwema heads the third row of the grid – his best qualifying result since he was sixth- fastest qualifier for the 125cc Dutch TT in 2010
In eighth place on the grid is Jack Miller, who has not managed a podium finish from the five previous occasions in 2014 on which he has failed to qualify on the front row
