Italy's Bastianini on pole for Portugal MotoGP / Photo: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP
-
Top NBA Draft pick Dybantsa to miss opener with ankle sprain
-
All who profited from fund scandal 'identified': Turkish minister
-
Italy sends troops, toughens security laws after Milan clashes
-
Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with MS
-
Alberta separatists vow to fight on, risking turmoil for Canada
-
Ronaldo let Man Utd down says Ten Hag
-
Two men re-arrested for suspected spying for Iran in airbase scare: UK police
-
Meta says it complied with Brazil court order to treat candidates equally
-
Guatemalan man gets 30 years for truck smuggling deaths of 53 migrants
-
Inequality is major factor in impact of non-communicable diseases : WHO
-
'Clayface' gets under the skin of the superhero genre
-
Italy to send 500 troops to Milan after clashes
-
Zelensky, US envoys hold Oslo talks as Ukraine claims US missile holdup
-
BBC slashes 100 jobs, closes two channels
-
All-rounder Minhas stars as Pakistan crush England in tri-series
-
Tech jitters lead stocks lower, oil surges then slides
-
Bavuma hits 179, Rabada strikes as South Africa dominate
-
Wild West Wing? Turmoil revives memories of Trump 1.0
-
Allrounder Minhas stars as Pakistan crush England in tri-series
-
Tap water no longer drinkable near South Africa capital
-
Albania PM blames 'hybrid war' for week of unrest
-
Arsenal coach Arteta always a leader, says former teammate Gnabry
-
Bavuma hits 179 to lead South African fightback
-
Investors pledge 230 billion euros at German summit: Merz
-
Solid GM results overshadowed by latest jump in commodity costs
-
Emery adamant injuries 'no excuse' for Aston Villa
-
Houthi attacks undermine Saudi Arabia's economic ambitions
-
UN demands aid access to besieged Yemen city Taiz
-
French PM vows 'massive' police deployment for new demonstrations
-
Faletau still in Tandy's plans despite being left out of Wales squad
-
Power outage hits Google Cloud services, disrupting UK banks
-
Stock markets retreat as oil rises again
-
AI challenges maths by solving the unsolvable
-
Those who profited from fund scandal 'identified': Turkish minister
-
Turkey troops to stay in Syria, Iraq 'until border security ensured', defence minister tells AFP
-
At half a century, Senegal's Orchestra Baobab bets on new generation
-
Kulusevski a 'different man' after emotional Spurs return
-
O'Connor, Sivakov join Seixas at Decathlon CMA CGM
-
Nawaz and Minhas lift Pakistan to 302-9 in England ODI
-
Faletau left out of Wales squad for Nations Championship
-
Mourinho warns no 'untouchable' stars at Real Madrid
-
Rubio says India diversifying oil, trade deal 'very close'
-
Indonesian anger builds over wildfires, toxic haze
-
Kemi Badenoch Proposes Ending Childcare Benefit Cliff Edge
-
Late Okafor Penalty Earns Alvechurch FA Cup Replay
-
More Than 52,000 West Midlands Families Use Tax-Free Childcare
-
Low-Cost Homemade Ideas Offer Alternatives for Halloween Costumes
-
Commanders Fear Serious Knee Injury for Terry McLaurin
-
Christiane Amanpour Plans CNN Departure After 43 Years
-
Rays Beat Guardians 7-3 to Secure World Series Place
Italy's Bastianini on pole for Portugal MotoGP
Italy's Enea Bastianini snatched pole position for the first time on a Ducati Saturday with the fastest time in qualifying for Portugal's MotoGP, the second race of the season.
The 26-year-old clocked 1min 37.706sec on the Portimao circuit to finish 0.082sec ahead of Maverick Vinales of Aprilia whose fellow Spaniard Jorge Martin was third best at 0.106 for Ducati.
"I'm very satisfied. Since Friday, we've seen that the bike has potential for this weekend," said Bastianini, who suffered a fractured shoulder in a heavy fall in Portugal last year.
"It's my first pole with Ducati so it's fantastic, and it makes me really happy after the disaster of the last year here.
"I'm confident because I think we can still improve before the sprint."
On the hilly Algarve circuit, the rider nicknamed 'La Bestia' (The Beast) outshone his teammate and compatriot Francesco Bagnaia, the world championship leader after his victory at the season-opening race in Qatar.
The reigning double world champion will start on the second row after setting the fourth best time ahead of the Australian Jack Miller (KTM) and Italy's Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati-VR46).
Impressive Spanish rookie Pedro Acosta (Gasgas-Tech3) took seventh place.
The 19-year-old bettered six-time Spanish world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) and Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha).
The sprint race starts later Saturday at 1600GMT with the weekend's main event at 1400GMT on Sunday.
Y.Nakamura--AMWN
