WATCH: Marc Marquez suffers high-speed crash at San Marino MotoGP qualifying, Pecco Bagnaia secures pole

In a dramatic turn of events at the San Marino MotoGP qualifying session, Marc Marquez suffered a massive high-speed crash that effectively ended his hopes of securing a strong grid position for the race. The incident, which occurred at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, overshadowed an otherwise thrilling qualifying session.

Marquez, who has been battling a series of injuries throughout the season, was pushing hard to improve his lap time during his final run. However, disaster struck at Turn 15 when the Gresini rider lost control of his bike, causing a violent high-side crash.

Here is the video:

A costly one 💥😱@marcmarquez93 has gone down at T15 and he's now down in 9th ⚠️#SanMarinoGP 🇸🇲 pic.twitter.com/0nMSZJtUDG

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 7, 2024

The impact was severe, but fortunately, Marquez was able to walk away from the incident without any major injuries. However, the crash relegated him to start from the third row, a significant setback for the Spanish rider who had been targeting a top grid spot.

Pecco Bagnaia storms to pole position

Meanwhile, Pecco Bagnaia, who has been nursing injuries of his own from a previous crash in Aragon, put in a stellar performance to claim pole position. The Ducati rider, leading an all-Italian and all-VR46 Academy front row, finished 0.285 seconds clear of Pramac's Franco Morbidelli, who secured his first front-row start since 2021.

Bagnaia's remarkable pace, despite his physical discomfort, showcased his resilience and determination as he continued to fight for the championship. The VR46 Academy celebrated a successful qualifying session, with Marco Bezzecchi completing the front row in third place. Jorge Martin, the current championship leader, was pushed down to fourth place on the grid.

Martin, who has been in scintillating form this season, will be starting alongside KTM's Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder, who took fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Acosta, the top KTM rider in qualifying, continues to impress in his rookie season in the premier class.

Here is the final starting grid: