MotoGP 2016: Jorge Lorenzo on pole for Qatar season-opener

Jorge Lorenzo got his title defence off to a good start by taking pole position at the season-opening MotoGP round at Qatar with a timing of 1min 55.543sec. The Yamaha rider was expected to be fast, but that he managed the time that he did on his very first lap seemed to astound many, especially since the new Michelin tyres weren’t expected to perform at their peak so early on in the session. Lorenzo’s time was so good that it managed to survive at the top of the timing sheets all through the session.

Also starting on the front row in…