Andrea Dovizioso has stormed to Ducati's first pole position since 2010 in record time as he eclipsed title-seeking championship leader Marc Marquez at the Japanese MotoGP.
The Italian set a new pole record of 1min 44.502sec at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit as he put Ducati at the front of the grid for the first time since Australia's Casey Stoner at Valencia in 2010.
Yamaha's Valentino Rossi placed second and Dani Pedrosa was third in front of his Honda team-mate Marquez, whose bid to wrap up the title has been hindered by glitches.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, who had a minor crash after a brake malfunction on Friday, had to pull off the track and switch to a new bike during Saturday practice.
He said he may be forced to ride for points rather than the win on Sunday, when depending on other results he could still seal his second straight title by finishing ahead of Pedrosa.
"If I feel good, obviously, I will try to push and try to go for the victory. But I will try to manage my limit," Marquez said.
"If I feel that for some reason, especially Dani or Valentino, on that day, if they are faster than everybody, we will try to get points," he said.
"Maybe the strongest one looks like (Jorge) Lorenzo. He is behind me and behind everyone on the grid, but for the race, (he could be) the strongest one," Marquez added.
In dry conditions, Marquez was 0.273sec slower than Dovizioso and expected a tight fight on Sunday. Yamaha's Lorenzo placed fifth.
"I am happy because we improved a lot compared with yesterday. The rhythm is really good. I feel good," Marquez said.
"I will try tomorrow to fight for the victory, of course. We are really close compared with Lorenzo, Valentino and Dani."
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