Prima Pramac Racing's French rider Johann Zarco competes during the free practice session ahead of the Moto GP Grand Prix of Doha at the Losail International Circuit, in the city of Lusail on November 17, 2023. (Photo by Karim Jaafar / AFP)
Lusail, Qatar: Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac) recorded the fastest time in qualifying number one at the Qatar Moto GP on Saturday.
Zarco's time of 1:52.38 beat the previous course record set by current world champion Francesco Bagnaia in 2021 by almost four-tenths of a second.
He finished 0.055 seconds ahead of Spaniard Alex Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) in second place and 0.122 faster than third-placed Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati-VR46).
The top three will compete in qualifying round two later on Saturday, which will determine the first 12 places on the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.
