With the smart money going on rain for MotoGP’s third free practice in Argentina tomorrow, today’s second session turned into a soft-tyre shootout for automatic places in qualifying two as everyone tried for a fast time and no-one was shocked when Maverick Vinales set the pace wihth a 1’39.477 to beat reigning champion Marc Marquez by three-tenths.
However, there were some raised eyebrows when the Pull and Bear Ducati pair of Alvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham stole third and fourth places on their ageing Desmosedicis while the factory Bologna machinery could only muster 14th and 18th and Jorge Lorenzo was severely dischuffed with his performance.
Valentino Rossi also fluffed his chances with the Movistar Yamaha, making an error on his last fast lap to end in 16th place and a second off the pace.
All riders completed their mandatory hard-tyre evaluation early doors and then continued to work on setup with the harder option as it looks like the race tyre of choice but when the ten-minute mark was reached, pitlane was full of bikes getting their rears changed to the soft option for a faux-qualifying session.
Britain’s Cal Crutchlow set the mark with a 1’40.124 but he was demoted fast by Bautista as the Spaniard went under the 1’40s mark with a 1’39.922. However, team-mate Abraham was directly in his wheeltracks and pushed into top spot with a 1’39.880. As the time ticked, Marquez rolled out for his last run and poked his works RC213V into first with a 1’39.778.
But the man on form had some time under his belt and Vinales struck with a 1’39.477 which is getting down towards Rossi’s lap record.
Danilo Petrucci was easily the fastest of the GP17s - not bad for a man who is Ducatis test mule in 2017 - and put himself into fifth place on a 1’39.960 while Loris Baz, on his elder Ducati, took sixth. Crutchlow ended the day in seventh place with Jonas Folger, Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone completing the top ten.
Britain’s Scott Redding missed out by 0.088s and ended in 11th place, just ahead of Johann Zarco. The Frenchman was fast and consistent on the hard tyre but just couldn’t find it on the soft rear. Dani Pedrosa had a slow crash early in the session and finished down in 13th, one ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.
Hector Barbera ended one place in front of Rossi - who will be praying for a dry day tomorrow - with Jack Miller finishing in front of Lorenzo. Bradley Smith also crashed in the first part of the session, launching his KTM at turn one. Smith’s 1’42.074 saw him in 22nd, one ahead of Sam Lowes.
