Sandro Cortese beats Maverick Vinales to Estoril Moto3 pole
Sandro Cortese scored his second pole position of the 2012 Moto3 campaign with an emphatic showing at Estoril
The 22-year-old German had set the pace for much of the session, but with eight minutes to go was displaced at the top by Spain's Maverick Vinales.
Cortese was on his own flying run however and settled the battle with a 1m47.145s, sending him more than three tenths clear.
For a long while it appeared Britain's Danny Kent was set to join Cortese and Vinales on the front row, but as the chequered flag fell he was pushed down to fourth by home favourite Miguel Oliviera.
The Portuguese rider needed two efforts - the second his very final lap of the session - to dislodge Kent, who nevertheless scored a career-best result of fourth.
He will share the second row with Malaysian Zulfahmi Khairuddin and current points leader Romano Fenati.
A measure of just how good Cortese's lap proved was the fact that Fenati, the youngest ever rider to lead the championship, finished more than 1s down.
It was an all-Spanish third row, with Luis Salom edging out Efren Vazquez and Hector Faubel.
Jerez polesitter Alex Rins finished way down the order in 22nd.
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time Gap 1. Sandro Cortese Ajo KTM 1m47.145s 2. Maverick Vinales Avintia FTR-Honda 1m47.460s + 0.315s 3. Miguel Oliveira Monlau Honda 1m47.916s + 0.771s 4. Danny Kent Ajo KTM 1m47.950s + 0.805s 5. Muhammad Zulfahmi Ajo KTM 1m48.083s + 0.938s 6. Romano Fenati Italia FMI FTR-Honda 1m48.191s + 1.046s 7. Luis Salom RW Kalex-KTM 1m48.238s + 1.093s 8. Efren Vazquez Laglisse Honda 1m48.299s + 1.154s 9. Hector Faubel Aspar Kalex-KTM 1m48.349s + 1.204s 10. Alexis Masbou Caretta Honda 1m48.476s + 1.331s 11. Jakub Kornfeil Ongetta FTR-Honda 1m48.478s + 1.333s 12. Niccolo Antonelli Gresini Honda 1m48.696s + 1.551s 13. Adrian Martin Laglisse Honda 1m48.871s + 1.726s 14. Brad Binder RW Kalex-KTM 1m48.900s + 1.755s 15. Louis Rossi Germany FTR-Honda 1m48.927s + 1.782s 16. Arthur Sissis Ajo KTM 1m49.013s + 1.868s 17. Alberto Moncayo Aspar Kalex-KTM 1m49.154s + 2.009s 18. Danny Webb Mahindra 1m49.326s + 2.181s 19. Alex Marquez Estrella Suter Honda 1m49.374s + 2.229s 20. Alan Techer Technomag-CIP TSR-Honda 1m49.377s + 2.232s 21. Alessandro Tonucci Italia FMI FTR-Honda 1m49.397s + 2.252s 22. Alex Rins Monlau Honda 1m49.447s + 2.302s 23. Marcel Schrotter Mahindra 1m49.752s + 2.607s 24. Joan Olive TT Motion KTM 1m49.880s + 2.735s 25. Manuel Tatasciore Caretta Honda 1m50.117s + 2.972s 26. Ivan Moreno Laglisse FTR-Honda 1m50.176s + 3.031s 27. Isaac Vinales Ongetta FTR-Honda 1m50.220s + 3.075s 28. Jasper Iwema FGR-Honda 1m51.193s + 4.048s 29. Giulian Pedone Ambrogio Oral 1m51.288s + 4.143s 30. Toni Finsterbusch MZ-Honda 1m51.583s + 4.438s 31. Kevin Hanus Sabo Honda 1m52.275s + 5.130s 32. Luigi Morciano Ioda 1m52.630s + 5.485s 33. Kenta Fujii Technomag-CIP TSR-Honda 1m52.820s + 5.675s 34. Armando Pontone Ioda Racing Project 1m53.408s + 6.263s
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