Moto3: Early pace enough see Bastianini

Enea Bastianini timed his pole run to perfection to claim top spot on the grid ahead of the Moto3 Catalan Grand Prix.

The Leopard rider set the pole time of 1m48.806s just ten minutes into the session on his fourth lap aboard the Honda. He consistently lapped at front row space throughout the session and was the first rider to break the 1m49s barrier on the new layout.

It is the Italians first pole since the Aragon round of the 2016 season.

With a new winner guaranteed as none of the riders currently competing have ever been victorious in Barcelona before, Bastianini is well placed to be the seventh different winner since Moto3 launched, but there are riders queueing up behind the pole man for a taste of Montmelo victory.

Jorge Martin was the second rider to crash in the session, collecting Albert Arenas at turn 10. The Del Conca Gresini rider was clearly frustrated at losing his qualifying plan and gestured when coming up behind slower riders setting their best laps.

However, once settled and with clear track he rallied to claim second, just 0.107 behind the best time.

Tatsuki Suzuki secured back to back front row starts for the first time in his world championship career. The SIC58 Squadra Corse rider followed up his superb second in Mugello by taking third on the grid on Spanish soil - creating an all Honda top three.

Ayumu Sasaki also impressed again, third in qualifying in Mugello, he is just one position lower on the grid in fourth for Petronas Sprinta Racing.

Aron Canet improved late on for fifth for Estrella Galicia 0,0 as he pushes to get closer in the title hunt.

Kaito Toba crashed at turn seven with fourteen minutes remaining, but had done enough to claim a strong sixth for Honda Team Asia.

John McPhee was another late improver, languishing down the timesheets for much of the session, the Brit worked on his issues and after a few late modifications in the pits he sprang up to seventh for CIP- Green Power.

Eighth went to Gabriel Rodrigo who is the best of the KTM riders with RBA, he was the final faller in the session, hitting the remains of the Vincente Perez/Arenas tangle in the final moments.

Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi did not have immediate pace but chipped away at his time to climb to ninth at the close for Redox PruestelGP.

The final spot in the top ten went to Lorenzo Dalla Porta for on the second Leopard entry, in a typically tight Moto3 session - all of the top twenty riders were within a second of the pole lap.

Kazuki Masaki was the top rookie performer in eleventh on the second RBA entry as the chequered flag waved the end of the session.

Fabio Di Giannantonio was the first to fall, his low side at turn four saw him have to sit out most of the session and with his Gresini team-mate Martin also crashing early there were no spare mechanics to speed up proceedings.

The Italian made the most of his late dash, 22nd after his first fast lap, he had time for one more run which pushed him to 13th , just behind Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing TEam VR46) on the timesheets, who took twelfth after also falling in the session.

Raul Fernandez (Angel Nieto Team) and Vincente Perez both return to the paddock for another run in the lightweight class as wildcard entries. Fernandez had the better session of the two in 15th, while Perez starts 28th following his fall.

Nico Antonelli was not present having dislocated his shoulder in his FP3 crash.