Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo stormed to the top of the Aragon MotoGP timesheets in this morning’s opening session, putting a half-second gap between himself and fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez with a lap that is already under Dani Pedrosa’s lap record.
Lorenzo used a soft front/medium rear Bridgestone combination to record a 1’48.256 on his fifth lap of the session, when the track was only 17°C, which was three-tenths under the 2013 lap record of 1'48.565 and he added a further four laps in the 1’48s bracket as well as being fastest in three of the four sectors, only losing out to Marquez in sector one.
Marquez was also on a good pace, sticking in five laps in the 1’48s with a best of 1’47.739, while Valentino Rossi had two in the 1’48s and his best was less than a tenth slower than Marquez, using the same tyre combination as Lorenzo. Neither of the Yamahas were sporting their new aero wings in the session.
Pedrosa, on the second of the Repsol Hondas, sprang into fourth place on a 1’49.050 with only a couple of minutes left to go and is eight-tenths off the pace but he is being chased hard by Misano podium man Scott Redding on the Estrella Galicia Honda RC213V. Redding set a scorching 1’49.856 early doors and then followed it with a 1’49.354 with his 16th lap of 18.
Bradley Smith was right behind his compatriot in sixth place until a sole flying lap by Andrea Dovizioso pushed him back to seventh place. Monster Yamaha team-mate Pol Espargaro ended in eighth on a 1’49.868, set on his fifth lap, but spent a lot of time running off track. Cal Crutchlow started the session slow but then climbed his way to ninth, one place ahead of Andrea Iannone, on the second works GP15.
Eugene Laverty was right in the top-ten mix until he was nudged back to 11th place by Iannone’s last lap. The Aspar Honda man is top Open bike with a 1’50.158 and ahead of Stefan Bradl on the works Aprilia. Frenchman Loris Baz is next Open bike, putting the Forward Yamaha in 13th, with Alvaro Bautista and Jack Miller completing the top ten.
Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales have some work to do on the factory Suzukis, finishing in 16th and 19th respectively.
