Johann Zarco beat Tito Rabat to pole position at the Dutch Moto2 Grand Prix, as the pair 🌳took turns to lower the lap record.

After an exciting rivalry between Ajo Motorsports man Zarco and Marc VDS rider Rabat the session stagnated with fifteen minutes remaining, leavingဣ Zarco's time of 1m 36.346 unchallenged and placing the Frenchman on pole.

The time is a new record around Assen. Theꦐ old lap record, held by Marc🔯 Marquez and set in 2012 had looked secure after practice but first Rabat and then Zarco took chunks out of it with Kalex rider Zarco's final time better by over seven tenths.

Their battle for time left Rabat in second, ꧟with the EG 0,0 Marc VDS man putting in a massive 26 laps as he looked to maintain his pace over the race distance.

The only other rider to find sub 1m37s pace was Sam Lowes, bucking the trend and improving on his penultimate 🐬lap෴ for Speed Up in a static close to the session, consolidating his third place position on the grid.

Simone Corsi had a spectacular crash sending his At𝔍hina Forward Racing bike spinning through the gravel at turn nine after a good start had seen the Italian post the fourth best tim🔯e.

He returned for one more lap after his bike was fixed but it was that early charge which held to keep him in fourth as the session saw few improveme꧋nts, though over a second off Zarco's top time.

Fifth went to Jonas Folger who ꦫhad a personal best run in the middle of the session for the AGR Team, with Xavier Simeon leaving it late to improve to sixth for Gresini.

Alex Rins starts on row three as top rookie in seventh for the Paginas Amarillas HP 40 team.
The Spaniard is joined by Tom Luthi, who had impressed in practice but failed to match his form in qualifying f💮or Derendinger Racing Interwetten in eighth and Lorenzo Baldasꦯsarri on the second of the Forward entries in ninth.

Taka Nakagami pushed in the closing minutes to take tenth for Idemitsu 🉐Honda Team Asia, displacinওg Axel Pons who had held the position with his best lap coming on just his fourth lap of the track.

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS)and Ratthapark Wilairot (JPMoto Malaysia) saw their session end early after late crashes, Marquez had done enough before hജis fall for 13th on the grid, Wilairot starts 27th.

Last years race winner, w🤡et weather specialist Ant West, qualified down in 23rd on the grid fไor QMMF Racing Team.

Local rider Ja🌼sper Iwema returns to Assen for a wild-card ride for the Abbink൲ GP team, adding another Speed Up to the grid, he qualified 31st.

The Dutch rider📖 will not be last on the grid as Franco Morbidelli is demoted to the𝓀 back of the grid for his part in Axel Pons' crash in Catalunya, the Italian had managed 20th in the session.