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MotoGP Jerez: Lorenzo continues to set the pace

Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo ended the opening day of MotoGP free practice at Jerez at the top of the timesheets but was chased by Marc Marquez, the only Honda rider who doesn’t appear to be in serious trouble this weekend.

Lorenzo put in run of laps in the 1’39s during this afternoon’s second session, the fastest a 1’39.555 using the hard front/medium rear combination to hold a 0.345s advantage over the Repsol Honda man who set a 1’39.900 with his sixth lap of 18.

Marquez could only muster one lap in the 1’39s but was comfortable in the low 1’40s at the end of his second run - however, Lorenzo’s pace right now is ominous to say the least.

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Ecstar Suzuki’s Aleix Espargaro, whose bike is now complete with wings, bit the screen to take third place with his last lap of the session, putting in a 1’40.093 to cap a session spend in the mid-1’40s and it was enough to topple the consistently-fast Hector Barbera, who has been in the top five all day on the customer Avintia Ducati GP14.2

Valentino Rossi set a 1’40.282 early in the session and then settled down into the low 1’40s, setting the same kind of pace and consistency as hated rival Marquez, so for now the battle for second looks like it is between those two.

Maverick Vinales spent more time on track than most, completing 22 laps in four runs with a 1’40.448 as his best. This was enough for sixth place but the young Spaniard also has good pace with five laps in the 1’40s.

Andrea Dovizioso upped his game from the morning to set a best of 1’40.737, just ahead of Scott Redding’s Octo Ducati in eighth place. Dani Pedrosa is in real trouble, sitting in ninth place and 1.4s off the pace especially as he shares the the same best lap time as Eugene Laverty, who hopped into tenth with a 1’40.925 with his penulatimate effort.

Andrea Iannone is still in the wilderness, sandwiched between the Laverty and his Aspar Ducati team-mate Yonny Hernandez while Cal Crutchlow, who is using some settings from last year in the LCR Honda, could only muster 13th.

Monster Yamaha are also having no fun in Spain. Pol Espargaro is in 14th, one ahead of Stefan Bradl’s newly-bewinged Aprilia, while Bradley Smith is down in 16th place and 1.7s off the pace.

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