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Marquez on pole as MotoGP remembers Luis Salom

Xinhua, June 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Marc Marquez (Honda) will start Sunday's Catalunya MotoGP from pole position after clocking the fastest time on a day marked by the death of Moto 2 rider Luis Salom on the Montmelo race circuit during training on Friday.

Salom died after going off the course on a curve and his death gave Saturday's qualification a somber air despite the sunshine and high temperatures in Barcelona.

Marquez was the only rider in Moto GP to beat the 1.44 barrier for a lap of the circuit, clocking a time of 1 minute and 43.58 seconds as he qualified for pole position in Barcelona for the first time in his career in the top level of racing.

Fellow Spaniard, Jorge Lorenzo will look for his third consecutive win in the 2016 season from second place on the grid after clocking up 1 minute and 44.056 seconds on his Yamaha, while Dani Pedrosa made it three out of three for the Spanish riders with his first front row start since Valencia 2015.

Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) was a surprise in fourth, especially considering he has not started a MotoGP race inside the top six since 2012.

Meanwhile Valentino Rossi will start from fifth place when the race gets under way at 14:00 local time on Sunday. Endit