Moto2: Home hero Nakagami on Motegi pole position

Home hero Takaaki Nakagami has taken pole position for his home Japanese Grand Prix tomorrow, after a late move from the Japanese rider handed him the top spot from Marc VDS rider Alex Marquez by a tenth of a second at a wet but drying Motegi circuit.

It was wet weather specialists Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira who controlled much of the session, but a late charge from Nakagami and Marquez – alongside Xavier Vierge and Mattia Pasini – demoted the pair back to the second row in the end.

Sandro Cortese leads the third row for tomorrow’s race ahead of teammate Marcel Schrotter and Belgian Xavier Simeon, while an impressive performance from Augusto Fernandez on the Speed Up machine made it four manufacturers in the top ten.