Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo has drawn first blood at the Indianapolis MotoGP, topped the first free practice timesheet but by only 0.093s from reigning world champion Marc Marquez and less than a second outside the lap record on a green and dirty track.
Lorenzo stuck in a 1’33.654 on his 16th lap of 18 in the period but was caught by Marquez after the young Repsol Honda rider started slowly and was languishing down in 14th before making some changes.
Marquez is losing valuable time in the final sector which should suit the Honda as it is stop/start so he and crew chief Santi Hernandez have some work to do ahead of second practice later today.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso brought his soft-tyre concession into play early and sat in second place with eight minutes left on exactly the same lap time as Lorenzo - a 1’33.871 - before the Spaniard upped his game by two-tenths.
Dani Pedrosa, on the second Repsol RC213V, ended in fourth place on a 1’34.050. Pedrosa set his lap early in the session when grip on the track was still low and the story was the same for Valentino Rossi in fifth place, who ended 0.324 further back.
Andrea Iannone took sixth place, one ahead of Britain’s Cal Crutchlow who set a fast lap early doors behind Marquez before lapping on his own to post a 1’34.461. Pol Espargaro ended in eighth, one ahead of Mike Di Meglio on the Avintia Ducati.
Ecstar Suzuki Maverick Vinales completed the top ten with a 1’34.897 just ahead of Hector Barbera and Aleix Espargaro. Scott Redding found his pace early on, setting a 1’35.022 on his fourth lap but didn’t better it and slipped back to 13th.
Bradley Smith ended down in 16th place with Eugene Laverty 19th and the returning Stefan Bradl in 22nd, one ahead of Toni Elias who is replacing Karel Abraham.
