Misano San Marino MotoGP Sunday Guide
Statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines
• Jorge Lorenzo starts from pole for the third time in 2015. He has won on each of the previous two occasions he has started from pole this year – at Jerez and Brno. Lorenzo has finished on the podium on the last twenty-seven occasions he has started from pole.
• Marc Marquez is on the front row for the eleventh time in 2015. Misano is one of just three current circuits where Marquez has not had a win in the MotoGP class, along with Motegi and Phillip Island.
• Valentino Rossi is on the front row for just the third time this year. Rossi won at Misano last year from third place on the grid. Following his win at Silverstone two weeks ago, Rossi will be aiming for back-to-back race wins for the first time since he won in Catalunya and at the Dutch TT in 2009.
• Starting from the head of the second row is Dani Pedrosa, who is the only Honda rider to have won in the MotoGP class at Misano, in 2010.
• In fifth place on the grid is the highest placed Ducati rider Michele Pirro – his best ever qualifying result in the MotoGP class. This is the best qualifying result by a wild-card rider in the MotoGP class since Ben Spies was fifth fastest qualifier at the Indianapolis Grand Prix in 2008 on a Suzuki.
• Bradley Smith has qualified on the second row of the grid for the fourth successive race. Smith has scored points at the last eighteen races, a sequence that started with a seventh place finish last year at Misano.
• In seventh place on the grid is Andrea Iannone, who will be aiming to get back on the podium for the first time since he finished second at the Italian GP at Mugello.
• Andrea Dovizioso is in eighth place on the grid at Misano, which is one of just two current circuits where he has not had a podium in the MotoGP class, along with Jerez.
• In ninth place on the grid is Danilo Petrucci, who had his first GP podium finish two weeks ago at Silverstone.
• In tenth place on the grid is Aleix Espargaro, who has not had a top ten finish in his eight previous grand prix starts at Misano.
• Cal Crutchlow starts from eleventh place on the grid – his worst qualifying result since he was in 12th place on the grid at the opening race of the year in Qatar.
• Loris Baz is the highest placed of the Open Class riders in qualifying for the second successive race, in 16th place on the grid.
Moto2
• Johann Zarco starts from pole for the sixth time in 2015. He has had four wins and a second place finish from his previous five poles this year.
• In second place on the grid is the Moto3 winner at Misano last year, Alex Rins. Rins has finished on the podium at the last four successive races.
• Taking the final place on the front row is Tito Rabat, the winner of the Moto2 race at Misano last year.
• Heading the second row of the grid is Simone Corsi, who will be aiming to get back on the podium for the first time since he finished third in Germany last year.
• In fifth place on the grid is Dominique Aegerter, which is his best qualifying result since the Catalan Grand Prix.
• Hafizh Syahrin starts from sixth place on the grid, which is a great improvement on his previous best qualifying result of 12th on the grid two weeks ago at Silverstone. This is also the best ever qualifying result by a Malaysian rider in the intermediate-class of grand prix racing, improving on the previous best when Shahrol Yuzy started the 250cc GP at Mugello in 2002 from 7th on the grid.
Moto3
• Enea Bastianini is on pole for the third time in 2015. Bastianini has finished on the podium eight times from his 30 GP starts, but is still looking for his first win.
• In second place on the grid is Brad Binder – the best ever qualifying result for a South African rider in the lightweight-class of grand prix racing.
• Danny Kent is on the front row for the tenth time in 2015. Kent will be aiming to become the first British rider to win a grand prix at Misano, which would give him the chance of clinching the world title when he arrives at Aragon.
• Heading the second row of the grid is Nico Antonelli, who has been on the podium at the last two races after not having a top three finish in his previous sixty-one grand prix starts.
• Romano Fenati is in fifth place on the grid and has not had a podium finish since he was third at the Italian GP at Mugello back in May.
• In sixth place on the grid is Miguel Oliveira, who has not had a top seven finish since winning at the Dutch TT.
• Lorenzo Dalla Porta is in eighth place on the grid in just his fourth grand prix start.
