10 things to know ahead of the PTT Thailand GP

A 50th premier class pole, Yamahas on form and Dovi primed for a victory attack... digest some great stats ahead of Sunday's race in Buriram

Qualifying day at the PTT Thailand Grand Prix certainly didn’t disappoint as Sunday is set up to be a classic premier class battle. Here are 10 things to know ahead of the first ever race in Buriram:

1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) starts from pole position for the 50th in the class and the 78th time overall in his Grand Prix career.

2. Marquez became the first ever rider to qualify on pole position after passing through Q1 since the qualifying format was introduced in 2013.

3. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) has qualified in second, which is his best qualifying result since Brno and his fourth front-row start of the season.

4. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) has qualified in third as the highest-placed Ducati rider, which is his second successive front-row start after the Aragón GP.

5. Heading the second row on the grid is Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), which is his best qualifying result since he was third in San Marino.

6. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who led the Official Test in Thailand this winter, starts from seventh on the grid, which is his lowest qualifying result since he was 11th in San Marino

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, PTT Thailand Grand Prix

7. Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) is in eighth on the grid as the second-placed Independent Team rider. This is Zarco’s best qualifying result since he was third at Silverstone and his best in dry-weather conditions since he was the sixth-fastest qualifier in Austria.

Johann Zarco, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, PTT Thailand Grand Prix

8. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), who is leading the Independent Team classification, completes the third row on the grid as the second Ducati rider, which is his worst qualifying performance since he was 11th in Assen

MotoGP, PTT Thailand Grand Prix

9. After joining Q2 directly for the fourth time of 2018, Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team), who is scheduled to start his 270th Grand Prix race, has qualified in 12th on the grid.

Alvaro Bautista, Angel Nieto Team, PTT Thailand Grand Prix

10. Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who is scheduled to start his 100th Grand Prix race in the premier class, is the highest-placed KTM rider in 15th on the grid. Smith is set to become the fifth British rider to reach the milestone of 100 premier class starts along with Cal Crutchlow, Jeremy McWilliams, Ron Haslam and Niall Mackenzie.

Bradley Smith, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, PTT Thailand Grand Prix
Watch every race LIVE & OnDemand and enjoy the whole motogp.com video library, including technical features, exclusive interviews and classic races, with the MotoGP™ VideoPass