Reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo has taken charge in the second MotoGP free practice session at Montmelo, topping the timesheets with a 1’41.710 but this morning’s fastest man Maverick Vinales was not too far off the pace in second despite getting held up by Marc Marquez at the end of the session.
Lorenzo has a quarter of a second advantage over the Ecstar Suzuki man who replaces him at Movistar Yamaha next year while the Hondas have found some pace over the lunch period but it Cal Crutchlow as the top RC213V, setting a 1’42.011 with his 16th lap, two-tenths faster than the factory Honda of Dani Pedrosa in fourth place.
Fellow Brit Scott Redding is the fastest of the Ducati rider, taking his GP15 to fifth place on a 1’42.282 to end a fraction over half a second off the pace.
Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi found three-tenths in pace but slipped down to the order to sixth place, one ahead of Hector Barbera. Andrea Iannone is the quickest of the works Ducatis in eighth place while Marc Marquez is all at sea in ninth place with a 1’42.485 and almost three-quarters of a second off the pace.
Andrea Dovizoso looked to have got his difficulties sorted with a 1’42.490 which hauled him into fourth place mid-session but everyone else upped their game and he slipped back to tenth place, just one ahead of Yonny Hernandez who got a tow from Lorenzo to set a 1’42.516.
The Espargaro brothers are locked together in 12th and 13th with Danilo Petrucci and Eugene Laverty completing the top ten. Laverty is 30 years old (yes, really) today and is just 1.1s off the pace. Bradley Smith had another nightmare session, ending last but his time from FP1 means he is 18th on the combined sheet.
Jack Miller crashed for the second time today, this time at turn three, while Alvaro Bautista also fell early doors.
