De Angelis claims Moto2 pole

A frantic Moto2 qualifying on Saturday saw rain come in starts and stops, until a dry window opened in the final minutes of the session, sending the riders out into a busy closing few minutes which saw JiR Moto2 rider Alex de Angelis take pole position in a repeat of his performance last year at Phillip Island. De Angelis, who won the Moto2 race last year, set a best time of 1’34.574, 0.088s ahead of Tech 3 Racing’s Mike di Meglio, who previously saw ninth as his highest ranking of the weekend. Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing) followed the Frenchman by 0.027s to take the last spot on the front row. Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing), who had led for much of the session after a fast early lap, eventually dropped to fourth position after setting a best lap of 1’34.699, while Kenan Sofuoglu (Technomag-CIP), who briefly topped the times in the final flurry, was relegated to fifth with his time of 1’34.729. Pol Espargaró (HP Tuenti Speed Up) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing) followed the Turkish rider in sixth and seventh. Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) ended the session in eighth, ahead of Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) and Mattia Pasini (Ioda Racing Project) to complete the top ten on the grid. Championship leader Marc Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) had a one-minute penalty added to his time of 1’35.298 following his collision with Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Singha-SAG) at the end of the Friday’s first free practice session.