Valentino Rossi charged to a first MotoGP pole position in almost a year, and first at Jerez since 2005, on his final lap of Saturday's qualifying session in Spain🦩.

Only Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marq🎶uez had hel🍸d provisional pole until Rossi - looking to rebound from a rare DNF in Texas - suddenly got the better of both his main rivals.

Marquez threatened to snatch pole back on his own last lap, but lost his advantage in the last sector. That confirmed Rossi's 62nd pole by 0.122s from Loreജnzo, with Marquez 0.155s behind to complete a mouth-watering front row.

"We work a lot becaus🧸e last year we struggled too much in qualifying," Rossi said. "This year with Michelin I feel better. I already start on the front row twice this year, but a pole position is different - especially here at Jerez. For sure tomorrow will be ver♊y hard with Lorenzo and Marquez. But we are there. We can fight."

Rossi's las🉐t MotoGP pole was at Assen 201🎶5, where he went on to win the race.

Yamaha team-mate and reigning champion Lorenzo - quickest in three of the four practice sessions prior to qualifying, Rossi led the other - had been planning to make three flying runs in qualifying. Ho🎀wever he aborted his secondꩵ attempt.

"The [second] bike was good, just we got a defective tyre. Chatte𝔍ring on the rear. So we had to cancel the lap. It was a pity," Lorenzo explained. "I didn't feel great on the soft tyre today, but I think for the race we have the pace."

Honda 🦹star Marquez confirmed that the pair of fast right-handers leading into the final hairpin had been his undoing.

"The problem is the two fast corners. The Yamaha there is really constant and really preci🐭se. I tried to push and improve this last sector, but it was not possible," said the world championship leader. "Anyway, happy with qualifying because we are close and tomorrow we will try to stay with the Ya🔴maha riders."

Forming row two of Sunday's grid will be Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso, who has struggled📖 with the wheelspin generated at Jerez, plus the Suzukis of Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro.

Marquez's Repsol Honda team♍-mate Dani Pedrosa claimed seventh, ahe🎶ad of top satellite rider Pol Espargaro (Tech 3) who was also the final rider within one-second of Rossi.

Fellow Spaniard Hector Barbera completes the third row, with Cal Crutchlow and Loris Baz qualifying tenth and twelfth after progressing through Qualifying 1. Dovi🍨zioso's team-mate Andrea Iannone will start between them, in eleventh.

Alvaro Bautista narrowly missed out on putting Aprꦚilia into Qualifying 2, while Bradley Smith's record of escaping from Q1 came to an end with 14th on the grid.

Qualifying 2:
1 Valentino Rossi
2 Jorge Lorenzo
3 Marc Marquez
4 Andrea Dovizioso
5 Maverick Vi?ales
6 Aleix Espargaro
7 Dani Pedrosa
8 Pol Espargaro
9 Hector Barbera
10 Cal Crutchlow
11 Andrea Iannone
12 Loris Baz