MotoGP rookie Maverick Vinales led an Ecsar Suzuki one-two at the top of the Catalunya MotoGP third free practice timesheets, banging in a 1’41.105 lap to head team-mate Aleix Espargaro by 0.053s while Jorge Lorenzo set the exact same time.
Vinales set his time with only a minute left to run, using the soft-option Bridgestone and then backed it up with a 1’41.206 a lap later. Espargaro did his best lap yesterday, also on the soft, but did a 1’41.232 in the third session.
Lorenzo’s Yamaha was shod with the medium tyre for his 1’41.158 which equalled Espargaro’s time from yesterday but took second on the third session sheet.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso used his soft-tyre concession to bounce into fourth place with a 1’41.384 while reigning champion Marc Marquez couldn’t improve on his time from yesterday and goes into qualifying two as the fifth quickest rider on a 1’41.443.
Monster Yamaha’s Pol Espargaro pulled a 1’41.473 out of the bag with eight minutes left to seal his Q2 place while a last-ditch tyre change to the medium option with time for only two flying laps saw Valentino Rossi climb from 13th to seventh place.
Britain’s Cal Crutchlow also clawed his way out of the qualifying one zone with his last lap as Yonny Herhandez got a tow from Lorenzo for a 1’41.658 which was enough for ninth place on combined times.
Bradley Smith languished in 19th place until there was only three laps left to run and then stuck in a 1’41.667 which was enough for seventh at the time but he slipped back to tenth for the final automatic Q2 place.
Dani Pedrosa will have to go through Q1 after being beaten by Smith to the tune of 0.032s and he will be joined by Scott Redding in 13th place and Mugello podium man Andrea Iannone on the second works Ducati in 12th. Hector Barbera was in 14th place and 1.1s off the pace with Danilo Petrucci 15th.
Eugene Laverty had a big crash at turn five after only seven minutes. He made it back out and set his quickest time of the weekend so far, a 1’43.267 which was enough for 23rd place and 2.1s off the pace.
