Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi made it count in a heated qualifying session this afternoon, scoring second and third respectively on the front row of the grid for tomorrow's Grand Prix of the Americas.

A determined build up in pace beginning from yesterday's free practice sessions by Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi saw the pair fly to second and third respectively this afternoon in qualifying at the COTA circuit for tomorrow's Grand Prix of the Americas.

Lorenzo was straight to business in the 15 minute qualifying heat, first out on track and head down to put the first time on the board, slotting in at the top with a 2'03.613s lap. The Spaniard then returned immediately to the pits to evaluate his next move. It took until eight minutes remaining on the clock for rival Marc Marquez to challenge for the top spot, motivating Lorenzo to return to the track with a fresh rear to accept the challenge. He was immediately able to raise his game, scoring a 2'03.257s in the hunt for pole, coming just 0.069 from the front man. The time was to stand to the end of the session, keeping Lorenzo on the front row in second place for tomorrow's race and very much within reach of his rival on pole.

Teammate Rossi chose to hold back at the start of the qualifying session, allowing the field to move out and ahead to provide clear space for his high speed run. The first shot on qualifying rubber got the Italian nine-time world champion up to speed, taking a 2'05.780s lap. Having warmed up Rossi then put the hammer down and shot up the top ranking to take third with 2'04.355s effort. With six minutes to go he then returned to the pits for new rubber before making a final challenge. Whilst in the pits, fellow Italian Andrea Ianonne had moved up to take third, bumping Rossi down to fourth. The move was quickly rebuffed with Rossi striking back in the last moments of the session, dropping under the '04 mark with a 2'03.664s to retake his front row slot alongside his teammate Lorenzo for the big show tomorrow.

Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

"The first row in today's qualifying by both Jorge and Vale is a great result that all team members deserve for the job they have been doing since Thursday. It's not only the front row that gives us confidence, but especially the gap from the front runner, that we have been able to reduce dramatically to less than one tenth in the case of Jorge. I knew both guys could get the front row today because I saw how hard they worked on track and in the garage with their own crews, allowing them to improve their feeling on the bike session by session. Jorge did an amazing lap, without making any mistakes. His second place today is worthy of a pole position. Valentino has had a good pace since yesterday and today he felt perfect on the bike, hence his third place on the grid. Starting from the front row tomorrow, especially on this track, is a huge advantage and we'll try to exploit their starting positions to set the race rhythm. Today the weather conditions did not allow us to test the tyres on a long distance, so tomorrow morning, if the weather stays dry and sunny, we'll close the program and then we'll be ready for the afternoon's race. I look forward to it."

Jorge Lorenzo - 2nd / 2'03.257s / 7 laps

"Little by little we are coming closer and closer. I was very focused to make the fastest lap time as soon as possible, we made a great first lap then I didn't expect to improve so much, more or less half a second more, and stay so close to Marquez. I was really pleased, really proud, it was a pity to not be in first place as we were only half a tenth slower than Marc but I think we made a great job in these two days and we are quite ready for tomorrow. It will be a long race with different tyres and for sure the physical condition and concentration will be hard, and to stay on the bike will be important!"

Valentino Rossi - 3rd / 2'03.664s / 7 laps

"This result is crucial for the race tomorrow and it's also a good result for the work that we've done today, from this morning we've improved the bike a lot and this afternoon in the free practice with the race tyre I was quite strong. I started qualifying quite confident and I did some good laps. The front row is always a very good target especially when I have to fight with Marquez and Lorenzo when they are quite strong."