Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso (centre) of Ducati, who took the pole, is flanked by Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa of Spain (left), who will start second, and Pedrosa's teammate and double world champion Marc Marquez, who qualified third. MotoGP’s season-opening Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar runs at the floodlit Losail International Circuit today evening. Picture: Noushad Thekkayil

By Mikhil Bhat/Doha


Andrea Dovizioso handed Ducati a blistering start to the 2015 season with a pole position for today’s Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar at the Losail International Circuit here.
The Italian 29-year-old edged Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa by 0.217 seconds with a 1:54.113 final lap at the floodlit circuit yesterday night.
Pedrosa’s teammate and defending champion Marc Marquez completes the front row having posted a 1:54.437 time in the 12-man Q2 session.
“There is definitely a question mark because we have never done a full race with this new bike but the feeling of the bike is much, much better than last year,” Dovizioso said after the qualifying session yesterday.
“Our pace in free practice four was very fast, close to or same as Marc. It will be very difficult to fight with him tomorrow but our speed is there. I rode in the qualifying with a very good feeling and with a soft tyre, I made a really special lap.”
Ducati, Suzuki and Aprilia have the option of using a softer tyre, an option that would no longer be available once they notch up three wins this season.
Ducati’s Desmosedici GP15 has been considered by many in the paddock to be in a position to challenge Marquez and his Honda, especially after the timesheets-topping performance at the preseason Qatar tests earlier this month.
Yesterday’s performance only reiterates that notion.
Talking about his qualifying performance, Marquez said: “I am happy because we were able to get the target, which was to get on to the front row. Honestly, we were expecting a little bit more, but I didn’t make the perfect lap. It was completely my mistake. I pushed too much. But anyway, for tomorrow, I feel really good, so we will try to do a really good race and try to go for victory of course.”
With as many as 11 riders within a second of Dovizioso’s time, Pedrosa said, “It was very important to get on to the front row. It was one of the first things to do this weekend because we could see that the lap times were very, very close.”
Three of the top five riders in the qualifying were on Ducati with Dovizioso’s teammate Andrea Iannone and Pramac Racing’s Yonny Hernandez posting fourth and fifth fastest qualifying times respectively.
Two-time Qatar winner Jorge Lorenzo ensured a second row start for Movistar Yamaha, while Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Bradley Smith, seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi and Pramac Racing’s Danilo Petrucci will start the race on the third row.
Espargaro brothers, Pol and Aleix, were ninth and tenth fastest on Tech 3 Yamaha and Suzuki bikes respectively, while CWM LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow’s qualifying was cut short by a massive crash and he will start on the fourth row.
Earlier in Q1, Maverick Vinales, who moved up from Moto2 this year, was all set to send the second Suzuki into Q2 for a shot at a top 12 start for today’s race.
However, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Smith edged him by one hundredth of a second moments before time to make it to Q2 along with Petrucci. Petrucci, riding a Ducati, was fastest among 15 riders in Q1.
In Moto2, Sam Lowes continued with his pre-season form in the qualifying session grabbing the pole position  ahead of Ajo Motorsport’s Johann Zarco and defending Moto2 champion Tito Rabat of Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing Team.
Lowes broke the Kalex stranglehold on a Speed Up with a 1:59.423 lap, 0.332 seconds ahead Zarco’s Kalex.
Rabat, the first ever Moto2 World Champion since the class began to attempt a title defence, has been joined by last year’s Moto3 champion Alex Marquez at Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS. Marquez, younger brother of the defending MotoGP champion Marc, was 12th fastest in the qualifying session.
The other two Speed Ups on the Moto2 grid are being run by QMMF Racing Team. The team’s newest recruit, Spanish rider Julian Simon will start 21st on the grid, a spot ahead of Australian teammate Anthony West.
Frenchman Alexis Masbou, riding a Honda for Saxoprint RTG, raced to the first pole of his Moto3 career, pipping Husqvarna’s Isaac Vinales by 0.067 seconds.Italy’s Niccolo Antonelli, riding a Honda for Ongetta-Rivacold, will be third on the grid.
Moto3 qualifying was yet another close affair with 17 riders squeezed within a second of Masbou’s time.
The youngest rider ever to compete in a full Moto3 season Fabio Quartararo will start sixth behind Mapfre Team Mahindra’s Francesco Bagnaia and Masbou’s Scottish teammate John McPhee.
Quartararo, riding for Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda, is a little under 16 years old and the organisers have had to change the rules this year to allow someone under the age of 16 to take part in a race. Plus his timesheets-topping performances in the preseason tests have created hype around the rider and also comparisons with the older Marquez.
Andrea Locatelli of Gresini Racing Team Moto3 Honda and Miguel Oliveira of Red Bull KTM Ajo will start seventh and eighth respectively.
Free Practice topper Danny Kent of Leopard Racing and team-mate Efren Vazquez complete the top ten.