+Ego Speed Up’s Alonso Lopez topped the times as Moto2 free practice concluded at Misano on Saturday morning.
The Spaniard’s 1’36.107 led Inde GasGas Aspar’s Jake Dixon by two-tenths at the close of the 40-minute session with Flexbox HP40’s Aron Canet completing the top three. The fastest six covered by less than three-tenths of a second in the hotly contested intermediate class.
Moto2 got underway with Friday’s two main challengers at the top once again. Lopez leading Mooney VR46’s Celestino Vietti this time round as Ai Ogura crashed the Idemitsu Honda out in the opening five minutes.
Dixon took charge as the session bedded in, times still over half a second adrift of Friday’s best as Lopez, MV Agusta’s Simone Corsi and VR46 Master Camp’s Keminth Kubo became the next to succumb to the Adriatic circuit. The Brit following suit at turn two five minutes later as Red Bull KTM AJo’s Augusto Fernandez and Aspar teammate Albert Arenas took over the session’s lead.
Arenas bettered overall with his ninth lap of the morning, a 1’36.495, with Idemitsu Honda’a Somkiat Chantra neatly into second, and sitting fourth overall, as the pace fired up.
The second half found Lorenzo Dalla Porta on the floor after a turn 11 crash and barrel through the gravel. Arenas containing to advance the pace out front with a 1’36.379 with Fernandez, Chantra and Vietti firmly in check while Dixon returned to the action.
The local rider was on the move as the clock counted down as Vietti rose to second 0.001s behind Arenas with Fernandez a further 0.006s adrift. The KTM challenger crashing out at turn 15 and tumbling through the gravel at high speed.
With the pace increasing in the closing minutes Dixon sat eighth with red sector’s across the board. The Brit rising to fourth with his 14th lap before Lopez returned to command overall by a quarter of a second thanks to a 1’36.107.
Dixon displaced Canet for second next time around as the 26-year-old set a 1’36.310. Gresini’s Filip Salac in the danger zone with Ogura narrowly ahead and two minutes left to run. Mattia Pasini brought out the yellow flags following a turn two off in the closing stages with Italtrans’ Joe Roberts suffering the consequences after Pertamina SAG’s Bo Bendsneyder had already curtailed his previous hot lap effort as the flag prepared. The American forced to face the Q1 fight.
