Britain's Cal Crutchlow will start Saturday's Dutch TT from his first pole position, after securing the fastest qualifying time in Assen. The 27-year-old lapped the circuit with a best time of 1:34.398 seconds, to become the first British MotoGP rider in more than a decade to finish on pole.

Cal Crutchlow
Reuters

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider will share the front row with Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez and LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl. Yamaha's defending world Champion Jorge Lorenzo missed the qualifying session, after breaking his collarbone in a crash during the second free practice on Thursday.

Where to Watch Live

The race will start at 2pm BST, with BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website providing live coverage in the UK. Repeat coverage will be shown on Sunday 10.30am on BBC Two.

Overview

Crutchlow, who had qualified second best on three previous occasions, finally broke the jinx and finished 0.357s ahead of second-placed Marquez. Northern Ireland's Jeremy McWilliams was the last Briton to achieve pole position in the premier class, when he qualified fastest in the 2002 Australian Grand Prix.

"It had been a long time coming. I have been very close to a pole a few other times, but have made mistakes. In my own head, it is overshadowed by the fact that Jorge Lorenzo was not here, it would have been nice to beat him straight-up," Crutchlow revealed after the win.

Crutchlow flanked by Marquez (L) and Bradl
Reuters

The Tech 3 star, who is currently fourth in the championship table, had qualified second in the Catalunya Grand Prix two weeks ago, but crashed out on lap six in the race. Crutchlow has pulled off podium finishes in the French and Italian GPs this year and will be confident of his chances on Saturday.

Nine-time world champion and Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi qualified fourth, while Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, who is currently leading the table, was fifth. It was a memorable day for Crutchlow's compatriot and team-mate Bradley Smith as well, with the 22-year-old finishing just behind Pedrosa in a career-best sixth.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo could still start the race in 12th position, if he gets medical clearance, after the Spaniard posted a fast time in the morning practice on Thursday.

Dutch TT Qualification Results

Cal Crutchlow (Tech 3) - 1:34.398

Marc Marquez (Honda) - 1:34.755

Stefan Bradl (LCR) - 1:34.878

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) - 1:34.974

Dani Pedrosa (Honda) - 1:35.006

Bradley Smith (Tech 3) - 1:35.454

Aleix Espargaro (Aspar) - 1:35.500

Alvaro Bautista (Gresini) - 1:35.508

Randy de Puniet (Aspar) - 1:35.622

Nicky Hayden (Ducati) - 1:35.908