Marquez takes pole position in Texas

Marc Marquez remains the man to beat at the Grand Prix of the Americas. Maverick Vinales has the speed this year to possibly make that happen.

Repsol Honda's Marquez won the pole position on Saturday for the fifth consecutive year, edging Movistar Yamaha's Vinales in a pulsating final-lap duel between the Spaniards.

Marquez, a three-time MotoGP champion, has won the Texas race four years in a row and will be racing Sunday for his 30th career victory. Vinales won the first two races of 2017 in Qatar and Argentina and leads the season standings.

Marquez crashed out in Argentina and needs a win if he is to seriously chase Vinales. Despite two crashes in Saturday practice, Marquez grabbed the pole with a lap of 2 minutes, 2.741 seconds, edging Vinales by 0.13 seconds.

Vinales' teammate Valentino Rossi will start third. Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa will start fourth.