Honda’s world champion Marc Marquez took pole position for the French Grand Prix after overcoming crashes in rainy conditions during practice and qualifying at Le Mans on Saturday.
The championship leader set a time of one minute, 40.952 seconds on wet tires immediately before crashing in qualifying and will start alongside the Ducati duo of Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller on the front row on Sunday.
It was the third pole position of the season for Marquez, who equaled Italian Valentino Rossi’s premier class record of 55 and trails all-time leader Mick Doohan by three.
“Today was one of those difficult days because of the conditions and we just tried to concentrate,” Marquez said.
The Spaniard was attempting another hot lap after his first in qualifying but slid down the road at turn six and ended up in the gravel. He dusted himself off and continued but was unable to improve on his initial effort.
“We knew that the first lap was a good one because there was water on the track. Then I had a small crash but kept riding to understand (conditions) for tomorrow,” the 26-year-old added.
“I’m happy with the result. There’s still a few things to improve on the bike. We need to wait on the weather and we’ll try to do a good race in front of the fans.”
Marquez leads the standings with 70 points after four races and will look to extend his one-point lead over Suzuki’s Alex Rins who was back in 19th place.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso was in the second row with the Yamahas of Rossi and Franco Morbidelli.

Motorcycling: Marquez braves wet conditions to take pole in France

MotoGP rider Marc Marquez of Spain waves to the fans after winning the Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix on May 5, 2019. (AP)
Reuters
Saturday 18 May 2019
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:55 - GMT 06:55
DAY | WEEK |
-
9442 Views Coronavirus: Doctor in Saudi Arabia leaves hospital after battling virus for 139 days
-
6929 Views Iran’s long-range missile land close to US Navy ships in Indian Ocean
-
5753 Views Dubai to test launch iconic London Taxi vehicles using hybrid cabs
-
3954 Views Coronavirus in the UAE: Abu Dhabi updates rules on entering the emirate
-
2507 Views Houthis kidnap husband of pregnant woman beaten to death by the militia in Ibb
-
1950 Views In pictures: Thick fog covers city of Dubai
-
11856 Views Oman Sultan issues new law organizing succession, naming of crown prince
-
9758 Views Coronavirus: UAE reports 3,362 new COVID-19 cases, total hits 239,587
-
9442 Views Coronavirus: Doctor in Saudi Arabia leaves hospital after battling virus for 139 days
-
8014 Views COVID-19: Saudi Arabia warns against travel to 12 countries without permission
-
7511 Views Coronavirus cases in the UAE surge as authorities detect 3,407 new infections
-
7440 Views Oman sultan’s eldest son Dhi Yazan to succeed him, becoming first crown prince
SHOW MORE