Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi topped the opening MotoGP free practice session at Indianapolis but had to fend off a challenge from Britain’s Bradley Smith who launched himself into second spot with his last lap on a hard-compound tyre ending just 0.034s behind The Doctor.
Rossi last lap on the hard tyre, the last of four in the 1'34s, was enough to nick top spot from countryman Andrea Iannone with a 1’34.535 compared to the Pramac Ducati man’s 1’34.579 but Smith, on the Monster Yamaha, was just quick enough to also depose Iannone with a 1’34.569.
But the shock of the session came from Go&Fun Honda’s Scott Redding, who went third fastest with only six minutes left and set the quickest time in sector two. He slipped back to seventh by the end of the session but is only six-tenths off Rossi’s pace.
The British rider is some eight-tenths quicker than the next fastest production Honda and a scorching 1.3s faster than team-mate Alvaro Bautista on the almost-works RC213V - a bike that Redding should be sitting on next year and not too dissimilar to Marc Marquez’s Repsol liviered Honda.
The reigning champion ended the session in fifth place just behind Pol Espargaro but led for a majority before sliding down the order. Brother Aleix finished in eighth with Andrea Dovizioso in ninth and Yonny Hernandez in tenth.
Forward Yamaha’s Coin Edwards shot into fifth place at half-distance with a 1’35.743 but then slid to 11th but remained ahead of Cal Crutchlow while the man he replaces at LCR Honda, Stefan Bradl, was two further places back while Dani Pedrosa is languishing in 16th place.
Michael Laverty was in 21st place while Leon Camier, who made his MotoGP debut in the session, finished last but was only five seconds slower than Rossi on a bike that he has never seen before with carbon brakes and Bridgestones, on a track he has never ridden.
