Marquez takes pole at Spain MotoGP

JEREZ, Spain (AP) — Marc Marquez continued to impress in the defense of his MotoGP title by winning his fourth straight pole position with a track record at the Spain Grand Prix on Saturday.

Marquez pushed his Honda through a late flying lap of 1 minute, 38.120 seconds to record the fastest lap ever at the 4.4-kilometer (2.7-mile) Jerez Circuit.

It was Marquez's 13th pole in two seasons in the top category.

Fellow Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo, riding for Yamaha, and Marquez's teammate Dani Pedrosa will start Sunday's race from second and third respectively. Valentino Rossi will begin in fourth on his Yamaha.

"I am very happy with this pole position, as it was hard fought and I wasn't expecting it," Marquez said. "We know that Sunday is the important day. Jorge and, above all, Dani, have great pace."

Marquez won the first three races of the season to lead the standings with 75 points. Pedrosa, who won here last year, was next with 56.

In the Moto2 category, Mika Kallio of Finland took pole ahead of Sandro Cortese and Luis Salom. Points leader Esteve Rabat will start from sixth place.

In Moto3, points leader Jack Miller took his third straight pole from four races this season. Niccolo Antonelli and Alex Rins will start from second and third on the grid.