Phillip ISLAND (Australia) (AFP) - World championship leader Marc Marquez snatched pole position and left title rival Andrea Dovizioso in his wake in the final seconds of qualifying Saturday for the Australian MotoGP.
Triple world champion Marquez grabbed his 44th pole in his 88th MotoGP with a best lap time of one minute 28.386 seconds at Phillip Island, while Ducati's Dovizioso struggled to 11th fastest and will start Sunday's race from the fourth row.
The Spanish Honda rider, who leads Dovizioso by 11 points with three rounds left, will start on the inside of the grid, alongside his compatriot Maverick Vinales and French Yamaha racer Johann Zarco.
Dovizioso will be hoping Marquez continues to have his impetuous moments around the fast, sweeping Phillip Island track.
Marquez crashed out of last year's race while leading and already crowned world champion. He also came off his Honda bike during the 2014 race.
Zarco, who snatched pole position at Motegi last weekend, looked set to repeat the feat when he hit the front before Vinales and Marquez in turn claimed the best lap time in the final moments of qualifying.
Andrea Iannone (Suzuki), Australian Jack Miller (Honda) and Pol Espargaro (KTM) will start off the second row of the grid.
Six-time race winner Valentino Rossi will join Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) and Briton Bradley Smith (KTM) on the third row.
Dovizioso, who beat Marquez in a thrilling final lap duel in Japan last weekend, struggled in qualifying and will start off the fourth row along with last year's race winner Cal Crutchlow and Dani Pedrosa.
Rossi and Smith advanced to the second qualifying session by finishing in the top two positions in the first session, for riders whose practice times were outside the top ten.
Rossi posted a best 1:29.346 lap time on his Yamaha, 0.359secs ahead of Smith on a KTM.
Triple world MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo, who injured his ankle in a tumble during third free practice, was sixth on his Ducati to push him down to 16th on Sunday's race grid.
***Honda rider Marc Marquez in action during a qualifying session for the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island, on October 21, 2017.