Aleix Espargaro held off reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez to take pole position for the TT Assen yesterday.

Espargaro clinched pole with a time of one minute 38.789 seconds, a full five seconds slower than the record-breaking pace he had set in final practice.

Marquez finished in second place, 1.4 seconds behind the Forward Yamaha rider with Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa in third 1.9 seconds down.

Espargaro is hoping to challenge the dominance of Marquez, who has won all seven races so far this season to top the riders’ championship standings by 58 points over nearest rival Valentino Rossi.

Rossi was only 12th fastest in qualifying, while double world champion Jorge Lorenzo was back in ninth.

Briton Cal Crutchlow recovered from a poor practice campaign so far this season to make the second row of the grid alongside compatriot and Ducati team-mate Bradley Smith, and Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone.

Marquez started the season with six poles in a row but has now failed to qualify on the top spot in the last two races of the MotoGP championship.

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