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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST 2015 53 MOVISTAR Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo obliterated the lap record at the Automotodrom Brno to take an incredible pole position at the bwin Grand Prix Ceské Republiky. The two-time MotoGP™ World Champion secured his second pole of the season with Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez and championship leader Valentino Rossi completing the front row. Unlike on Friday when track tem- peratures reached over 50˚C, con- ditions were almost ideal for Q2 at the iconic Brno track. A track tem- perature of 42˚C and a light breeze meant grip levels were at their opti- mum, and the thousands of fans at the 5.2km Autodromo Brno were treated to one of the most exciting qualifying sessions of the year. As always, the outcome came down to the final few seconds of the ses- sion when riders popped in a fresh softer option rear tyre and headed out on their last flying laps. Lorenzo had already broken Cal Crutchlow's 2013 pole record in FP3 (1'55.527), and after his first run found himself on top of the timesheets with a 1'55.238. Things would just get better for the Span- iard on his second run, as he man- aged to set the fastest ever lap by a motorcycle around the circuit, and the first ever under the 1'55 barrier. Lorenzo's record-breaking 1'54.989 securing his second pole position of the season and 31st in his MotoGP™ career in the proc- ess. Marc Marquez followed up his back-to-back wins at Indianapolis and the Sachsenring by qualifying in second. The reigning MotoGP™ World Champion missing out on pole by just 0.074s as he also deci- mated the previous pole record. Current championship leader Valentino Rossi had to dig deep in an effort to cure his qualifying woes and will start Sunday's race from the back of the front row. The Italian had completed a Yamaha 1-2 behind Lorenzo in FP3 & FP4, but could not quite match the pace of his teammate in Q2, finishing 0.364s behind Lorenzo. Ducati Team's Andrea Iannone (+0.401s) stuck with the older ver- sion of his GP15 to set the fourth fastest time on his very last lap. The Italian had received an update version of the Desmosedici for Br- no with a new engine and fairing, but opted for the older model for the entirety of the session. Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Brad- ley Smith was the leading Satellite rider, and will start from the mid- dle of the second row after putting in his best qualifying performance of the season. Smith has shown an impressive race pace throughout the weekend and found himself just 0.471s behind Lorenzo in fifth. Ducati Team's Andrea Dovizioso (+0.946s) was almost a further 0.5s back as made use of his up- dated GP15 to secure sixth on the grid. Maverick Viñales on the Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR once again out qualified his more expe- rienced teammate and will start from seventh on the grid. Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) had earlier made through as the fastest rider from Q1 and will start from eighth. A rather battered and bruised Dani Ped- rosa on the Repsol Honda recov- ered from his crash in FP2 to set the ninth fastest time. CWM LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow had to settle for tenth, after he was also forced to bat- tle it out in Q1. The British rider will start from the front of the 4th row, with Avintia Racing's Hector Barbera in eleventh on the leading Open class bike after he made it directly through to Q2 for the first time this season. Octo Pramac Racing Yonny Hernandez, who also made it through automatically to Q2, completes the fourth row. Scott Redding will start from 14th on the grid after failing to make it through to Q2, while Irishman Eugene Laverty (Aspar MotoGP Team) is the leading Open Honda rider in 20th. Sport MOTOGP FORMULA 1 Lorenzo breaks lap record to take pole Jorge Lorenzo smashes the lap record to secure pole position ahead of Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi at the Czech GP 2015 Czech Republic MotoGP Grand Prix Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. J. Lorenzo Yamaha 01:54.989 7 2. M. Marquez Repsol Honda 01:55.063 7 3. V. Rossi Yamaha 01:55.353 7 4. A. Iannone Ducati 01:55.390 7 5. B. Smith Tech 3 01:55.460 7 6. A. Dovizioso Ducati 01:55.935 7 7. M. Vinales Suzuki 01:55.954 7 8. P. Espargaro Tech 3 01:55.955 3 9. D. Pedrosa Repsol Honda 01:55.969 7 10. C. Crutchlow LCR 01:56.192 7 11. H. Barbera Avintia 01:56.399 7 12. Y. Hernandez Pramac 01:56.739 7 Bernie Ecclestone urges Renault to stay BERNIE Ecclestone has called on Renault to stay in Formula One and believes the French manufacturer should take over Lotus. Renault's future in the sport beyond next season is in doubt after a difficult campaign in which they have come under heav y criticism from Red Bull. Renault's contract with Red Bull and their sister team Toro Rosso expires at the end of 2016. But Ecclestone, Formula One's ringmaster, is hopeful they will remain in grand prix racing be- yond next term, and has urged them to buy back the team it owned for nine years. "I'd like them to take over Lo- tus, or start a new company on their own," Ecclestone said. "I'd rather not lose them be- cause they've been with us a long time and they are easy people to deal with, nice people, there are no dramas any where. "They said they were going to have a look at it and hopefully come up with a decision by Sep- tember." Renault has been associated with Formula One for the best part of 40 years, either as a stan- dalone team or engine supplier. Fernando Alonso won back-to- back titles as a Renault driver in 2005 and 2006 before the French manufacturer formed a winning relationship with Sebastian Vet- tel and Red Bull culminating in four consecutive drivers' and constructors' championships. But Renault have failed to rep- licate that success following the switch to 1.6 litre V6 turbo en- gines for the 2014 season. And Red Bull have firmly pointed the finger at their en- gine supplier for their dwindling success. Speaking to Autosport, Ec- clestone added: "I'd like to see them get their engine competi- tive, and if that's the case then they will be in good shape. "For them to come in as a team with an engine that is not com- petitive would not be good for them." Jorge Lorenzo Bernie Ecclestone YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt