Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo found a way around his recent problems with the rear Bridgestone in the third MotoGP free practice to challenge reigning champion Marc Marquez for top spot.
The Mallorcan rider put in his fastest lap of the weekend so far - a 1’21.221 - to end just 0.138s behind the Repsol Honda man, who knocked him off top spot with his last two laps of the session, the fastest of which was in traffic.
Lorenzo’s team-mate Valentino Rossi hauled himself up from the edge of slipping into qualifying one into third spot with his last effort. The Doctor finished 0.191s behind Marquez which dropped Ducati’s Andrea Dovizoso to fourth.
The Italian has so far struggled at the German track but banged in a 1’21.562 using the soft rear tyre to briefly take top spot with six minutes left but he then slipped down the order to end one ahead of Bradley Smith.
Smith continues to up his pace this weekend and put the aysmmetric front tyre to good use on his fastest lap. The Monster Yamaha man was quickest with seven minutes to go on a 1’21.568 but just got shuffled backwards.
Dani Pedrosa ended his session in sixth place, one ahead of Cal Crutchlow who recovered from a massive highside at the Omega Curve to get out on his second bike and stick in a 1’21.766 which was enough for seventh until Aleix Espargaro, who also bit the dust with a closed-throttle highside at turn one, pushed him back a place.
Andrea Iannone failed to improve on his laptime from yesterday but still kept his place in the top ten while Pol Espargaro scraped into qualifying two by right with a couple of minutes in hand.
Espargaro’s lap pushed Ecstar Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales into qualifying one and he is joined by Scott Redding and Yonny Hernandez. Redding will have to contend with the Ducati and Suzuki soft-tyre concessions in order to push for a place in qualifying two.
Hector Barbera ended as top Open class man on the Avintia Ducati with Jack Miller next along in 17th place. Nicky Hayden was a further spot behind while Eugene Laverty improved his time by just under a tenth for 2nd place.
Brother Michael, who is riding the Aprilia this weekend, upped his game by almost a second from yesterday and finished in 24th place.
