“Vive la France”: Pole position and top speed record for Johann Zarco at the 2021 LIQUI MOLY Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany

• Ducati rider Zarco sets new top speed record on way to pole
• Aprilia back on the front row of the grid for the first time for 20 years
• Marcel Schrötter starts from 17th place in Moto2 class

Hohenstein-Ernstthal. Frenchman Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) secured pole position in qualifying ahead of the 2021 LIQUI MOLY Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany. The Ducati rider took 1:20.236 minutes to lap the short, 3.6-kilometre Sachsenring. This was not Zarco’s only remarkable achievement today. In the third free practice session, the 30-yerar-old set a new top speed record at the Sachsenring of 301.6 km/h. Zarco shares the record with his Spanish team-mate Jorge Martin and Australia’s Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team).

“I am happy that I was able to take full advantage of the tyres on the first lap. That gives you a few tenths of a second. Still, that was not quite enough for the top time at the start of qualifying, but fortunately it came together on the final attempt. You can see just how much influence the tyres have on the lap time,” said Zarco, analysing his excellent performance.

His compatriot, world championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), missed out on his sixth pole position in a row by just 0.011 seconds, qualifying second. Starting the race from third on the grid at 14:00 on Sunday will be Spain’s Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). In doing so, Espargaro also achieved a historic feat: this is the first time since the 2000 Australian Grand Prix that an Aprilia has started from the front row of the grid in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing.

“King of the Ring” Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) from Spain, who has won his last ten races at across all classes at the Sachsenring, qualified fifth, 0.331 seconds behind Zarco. Italian motorcycle racing legend Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) failed to progress beyond the first qualifying session and stars the race from 16th.

Moto2: Lap record and pole position for Raul Fernandez

In the Moto2 class, young Spaniard Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) starts from pole position. The 20-year-old came out on top in qualifying thanks to a new lap record of 1:23.397 minutes. Fernandez is joined on the front row of the grid by Italy’s Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and his Australian team-mate Remy Gardner.

Local favourite Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) struggled to match the pace of the front-runners in qualifying. In the end, he was 1.227 seconds off the pole time and will start the extremely evenly-matched Moto2 class from 17th place.

Pole position in the Moto3 class went to Czech rider Filip Salac (Rivacold Snipers Team). His lap time of 1:26.913 minutes was the fastest in the lowest category. Italian Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) and Japan’s Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) finished second and third and thus start from the front row of the grid. World championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) from Spain was 13th and was the last rider in qualifying within one second of Salac.