Oct 24 (Reuters) - Ducati's Marc Marquez swept to a stunning pole position at the Australian MotoGP in a wet and slippery qualifying on Saturday, with championship leader and title rival Jorge Martin finishing fourth-quickest.
The conditions were treacherous at a soggy Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, and Marquez crashed early in the second qualifying session as he lost his front and slid off onto the grass.
The defending champion was unscathed, though, and sprinted through the Ducati garage, swapping bikes before laying down a scorching 1:34.203 to clinch his fourth pole of the season.
"I just tried to cover my big mistake! You cannot crash in the first lap, because that means that you don't have a lap time," seven-times MotoGP champion Marquez said.
"So it was a mistake on that turn four, but the team was ready with the other bike. I kept my focus, I tried to find the same feeling as I had in free practice. The last lap is the one that I did all in, and it was a good lap."
Marquez's brother Alex of Gresini Racing took second, while LCR Honda's Johann Zarco completed the front row.
Frenchman Zarco had come through the first qualifying session earlier on Saturday and capitalised on his knowledge of the shifting conditions.
"It was stressful," Zarco said.
"You think it's raining so you cannot switch to the medium, but then you go out and it is not raining anymore, and with the wind it's getting dry!"
Aprilia's Martin will start from the second row in both Saturday's sprint and Sunday's race, giving Marquez a shot at overtaking him in the standings.
With five rounds remaining in the season, including the Australian MotoGP, just two points separate the top two riders in the championship, with Martin on 355 and Marquez on 353.
Martin's teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who was ninth-quickest in qualifying, is a somewhat distant third on 309.
Earlier on Saturday, Australian rider Jack Miller of Pramac Racing topped the first qualifying session, much to the delight of home fans.
Sunday's race will be MotoGP's last at Phillip Island, with the Australian Grand Prix moving to the streets of Adelaide next year.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
