Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/725667
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2016 Sport 50 MOVISTAR Yamaha MotoGP's Jorge Lorenzo took a record- breaking pole position at Misano World Circuit, beating his own pole lap from 2015 and putting in the first ever 1:31lap of the Adri- atic venue. Teammate Valentino Rossi took P2 on home turf, with a last dash from Silverstone win- ner Maverick Viñales (Team Su- zuki Ecstar) enough to lock out the front row. The skies over the Riviera di Ri- mini have proved a stark contrast to those above Silverstone circuit for qualifying in the #BritishGP, with the sun high in the sky and the grandstands shining their own gleaming yellow. With FP4 commanded by home hero Val- entino Rossi, it was however his teammate who put in the first real challenge for pole as Lorenzo put in the first low 1:32 effort of the session. Lorenzo wan't done there, as the reigning champion then put in a new lap record to beat his own from 2015, laying down a marker at a track that - whilst behind en- emy lines - has proven one of Lor- enzo's best. After just missing the 1:31 bracket in that first run, the 'Spartan' then came back out and lowered the lap time once again to put in 1:31.868 and smash the record. The pole at Misano is his 64th in the world championship - taking him one above Marc Mar- quez (Repsol Honda Team) and Rossi in the record books as the most in GP history. Rossi put in a great lap in the second run of the session to go P2, before Race Direction cancelled the lap time after the Italian had exceeded track limits. With one shot left, the Italian put in an- other, legal lap and took back his place on the front row - the only man to get within half a second of his teammate on pole position. Maverick Viñales moved onto the front row to knock Marquez back on his second run, as the paddock's most recent victor took his Team Suzuki Ecstar team back to the front once again; the warm- er temperatures not proving as difficult for the Suzuki as feared. Marquez was the closest chal- lenger after the initial run of fast laps, but with visors cleaned and final preparations for the last run made was unable to set a bet- ter time in the second half of the session and will begin P4. Joining him on the second row are the Ducati Team duo of Michele Pir- ro, replacing Andrea Iannone, and Andrea Dovizioso. LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow heads up the third row from Rep- sol Honda Team's Dani Pedrosa, with Aleix Espargaro (Team Su- zuki Ecstar) and Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) com- pleting the top ten. Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) and Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Rac- ing Team Gresini) were P11 and P12 to complete the Q2 entrants. 28 laps of Misano now await the grid, with lights out at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) as Marquez and Lorenzo face down the local hero behind enemy lines. MOTOGP FORMULA 1 Lorenzo flies to pole position at Misano Record-breaking pole position plants Lorenzo's flag on the Riviera di Rimini 2016 San Marino MotoGP Grand Prix - Qualifying Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. J. Lorenzo Yamaha 01:31.868 8 2. V. Rossi Yamaha 01:32.216 8 3. M. Vinales Suzuki 01:32.381 8 4. M. Marquez Repsol Honda 01:32.443 8 5. M. Pirro Ducati 01:32.467 8 6. A. Dovizioso Ducati 01:32.677 8 7. C. Crutchlow LCR 01:32.743 8 8. D. Pedrosa Repsol Honda 01:32.859 9 9. A. Espargaro Suzuki 01:32.918 6 10. P. Espargaro Tech 3 01:33.002 7 11. H. Barbera Avintia 01:33.301 4 12. A. Bautista Aprilia 01:33.929 8 Jorge Lorenzo Button tips Hamilton for 2016 championship JENSON Button believes former team-mate Lewis Hamilton will ultimately prevail against Nico Rosberg in the fight for this year's Formula 1 championship. Hamilton, who won the crown in 2008, 2014 and 2015, is locked in a battle with Rosberg for the title, with the Briton holding a slender two-point advantage over his rival. Button, who was paired with Hamilton at McLaren for three seasons, reckons his compatriot has the edge on Rosberg as he chases a fourth championship. "I personally feel that Lewis… Italy didn't go his way but I think he's going to win the world cham- pionship," Button, who will step aside for Stoffel Vandoorne in 2017, explained to Sky Sports. "He's [Hamilton] come from such a long way back, everyone forgets how far he was behind Ros- berg, he closed that gap over three races. "For me Lewis, when the car's working for him, the results are a lot more consistent, qualifying's impressive, and in a race he's in a very strong position. "Mentally [he's] a lot stronger than he used to be, he's got a really good chance and he probably is going to win a fourth world title."