Marc Marquez has taken pole position for the Valencia Grand Prix where the defending MotoGP champion has the chance to clinch his fourth title.
Andrea Dovizioso, the only rider who can challenge Marquez for the championship, will start Sunday's race from ninth place.
Marquez holds a 21-point lead over Dovizioso and takes the title if he finishes 11th or better. Dovizioso's slim chances rest on him winning the race and hoping Marquez comes in no better than 12th.
Australia's Jack Miller will start from 12th, after recovering from a crash in practice when he had set a strong pace on Friday.
Marquez set the fastest lap of 1 minute, 29.897 seconds before crashing his Honda on his final run. Marquez hasn't finished worse than sixth place in the 14 races he has completed this year, and looks likely to take the title if he can avoid crashing.
Dovizioso, an Italian rider for Ducati, has won six races this season despite not starting from pole position once.
