Crutchlow storms to home Silverstone pole

Cal Crutchlow stormed to a home pole position for the British MotoGP by 0.9s during a wet and wild qualifying session at Silverstone.

The LCR Honda rider, who won his first MotoGP race in wet/dry conditions last time in Brno, threw caution to the wind as he bolted to a near three-second advantage in the treacherous conditions.

That gap would be reduced to 0.9s by nearest rival Valentino Rossi, last year’s wet British Grand Prix winner, but Eugene Laverty had been on course to possibly snatch pole from Crutchlow until being thrown from the Aspar Ducati on his final lap.

Laverty’s exit confirmed Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales as completing the front row, with world championship leader Marc Marquez forced to watch from the sidelines as he slipped back to fifth following a fast Turn 1 fall from his Repsol Honda.

Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller also hit the ground, Dovizioso being helped away by marshals after a recent knee injury.

Dani Pedrosa will join teammate Marquez and Laverty on the second row of today’s grid, with Scott Redding (Pramac), Andrea Iannone (Ducati) and Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) forming row three.

Weather forecasts suggest a good chance of a dry race today, which would swing momentum back towards the likes of Marquez and Vinales, who led the dry Saturday morning session.