Gran Premio Red Bull de España, Jerez – Day one roundup: MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3

 In MotoGP, News

MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) topped a wet FP1 in the Red Bull Gran Premio de España, before conditions improved dramatically for a dry FP2 with the same name at the top. The three-time World Champion did a 1:39.420 to go quickest by over half a second, with a stunning laptime from Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) putting him into second as the only other rider in the 1:39s.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) was P2 in the wet and moved back one place in the dry later in the day to end Friday in third, just ahead of what looked to be an incredible headline as the last few minutes of FP2 approached: Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team).

Fastest out the blocks in the wet in FP1 for the early stages of that session, the ‘Spartan’ topped the timesheets in the afternoon with a few minutes left on the clock, before ending Day 1 of his first home race of the year in fourth as top Ducati. Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) also impressed on the GP17, locking out the top five.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was sixth and suffered a fast lowside crash at Turn 9 – only his third during a GP weekend session since 2017 began – and teammate Valentino Rossi also had a more difficult first day in P12.

Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) gave the home fans more reason to cheer in seventh, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).

P10 was another stunner as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took KTM into the top ten for the first time, only + 1.153 in arrears in an awesome performance on Day 1 at one of his home Grands Prix.

Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) was in P11 ahead of Rossi, with Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) slotting in behind the ‘Doctor’ and teammate Johann Zarco in fifteenth.

Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was fourteenth on Friday, but didn’t use the softer option rubber from Michelin to set a time attack.

The premier class head out to decide direct entry to Q2 qualifying at 9:55 (GMT +2), before the grid begins to take shape at 14:10.

Moto2

2014 Moto3™ World Champion Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was fastest first in a wet FP1 at the Spanish GP and followed up his impressive pace to take back the topspot on Friday afternoon with a 1:43.121 as conditions improved to fully dry. Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) was second fastest in an impressive Friday for Suter, ahead of Tech 3 Racing’s Xavi Vierge in another superstar performance.

Top rookie was Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP 40), who topped the timesheets briefly in FP2 before then ending the day in P4 despite a crash. Points leader Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was another crasher, and the Italian ended the day in fifth.

Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) took P6 ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Forward Racing Team duo Luca Marini and Lorenzo Baldassarri in eighth and ninth despite a crash for the latter.

Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) was second quickest rookie in a solid first day in Spain to round out the top ten, ahead of Axel Pons (RW Racing GP), rookie Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing).

Championship contender Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) was down the timesheets in P14, with Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) between the Swiss rider and Japanese title hopeful Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), who was sixteenth.

Moto2™ have one more practice session on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying at 15:05 (GMT +2).

 

Moto3

After a wet FP1 at the Red Bull Gran Premio de España, FP2 dawned drier and drying for the Moto3™ field, with points leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) taking to the top with a 1:49.564, two tenths ahead of key rivals Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) and John McPhee (British Talent Team).

There were some crashes on Day 1, including incidents for Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46), Tony Arbolino (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) and John McPhee, but conditions were almost completely dry by the end of FP2, although laptimes hovered some way above lap record pace.

Fourth in a slightly shaken up order further back was a stunning performance from Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate), with Livio Loi (Leopard Racing) completing the top five ahead of Tony Arbolino, who took sixth despite his crash. Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Niccolo Antonelli was P7, with teammate Bo Bendsneyder having a tough first day down in P22.

FP1’s fastest in the wet Jakub Kornfeil (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) was P8, with the top ten completed by Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Mahindra Northgate Aspar) in a much-improved Friday for the reigning FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Champion. His predecessor to that title and last year’s polesitter Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) had a more difficult day in nineteenth.

Some other big names find themselves just outside the top ten, with Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio taking eleventh to thirteenth respectively. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0) locked out the first fifteen on Friday.

Moto3™ are back out first on Saturday, before qualifying at 12:35 (GMT +2).

Source: motogp.com

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