Jorge Lorenzo 2nd on opening day at Phillip Island

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo made his first laps around the Phillip Island circuit today during the first free practice sessions of this weekend‘s Australian Grand Prix.

Fully committed to his goal to decrease the 18-point gap to Rossi in the championship standings, Lorenzo seamlessly continued the impressive pace he displayed at the two previous Grand Prix.

Despite a stiff breeze and a consistent drizzle, he was soon on the pace and took over first place in the final twelve minutes, setting a best time of 1‘30.047s. The session was brought to a premature end when rain picked up seven minutes later, allowing the Spaniard to hold first place with a comfortable 0.348s margin over his closest rival.

Lorenzo continued his form in the dry afternoon session and it only took him five laps to post a time of 1‘30.144s and shoot to the top of the provisional ranking order. He spent what was left of the 45-minute session testing the asymmetrical tyre and held onto the lead for most of the second free practice, before the times started to drop in the last minutes. Lorenzo responded by dipping under the 1‘30 mark, posting a strong 1‘29.433s lap to take second place.

JORGE LORENZO
We have tried some settings, but in general we have a good basis. The track is very slippery, it‘s a lot worse than it was two years ago and last year. It‘s bumpier as well, but that‘s the same for all the riders. Our pace is very good, we just need to improve the acceleration a bit and some other details for tomorrow.

Source: Yamaha Racing