Iker Lecuona headed the wet FP1 times at Valencia as the Tech3 KTM showcased his skills on his final MotoGP weekend.
Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira completed the top three despite a crash for the Ducati Lenovo man, with Johann Zarco and Joan Mir bettering Pecco Bagnaia in the opening times.
Valentino Rossi’s farewell weekend got under way under dark clouds and the threat of rain as Friday practice began ate the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. A previous shower leaving a wet track as the 45-minute session rolled out of pitlane with the rain ongoing as the session developed.
Lecuona was the first to head out on his home circuit, for his own final weekend as a MotoGP rider before a move to WorldSBK with HRC, a bruised but okay Oliveira close behind. The Portuguese man headed the times with a 1’42.107 from Algarve GP winner Bagnaia, Alex Rins and Dakar-bound Danilo Petrucci.
Miller took second as the rain increased, Rins rising to third with his Suzuki teammate Mir running sixth from Lecuona, Takaaki Nakagami and Jorge Martin. The Espargaro brothers sat on the fringes of the top 10 after 15 minutes of action, Aleix heading his younger sibling with fellow Aprilia Maverick Viñales 0.008s behind.
Petrucci suffered the first fall of the weekend at turn four, the Tech3 rider looking winded after a battering highside as Bagnaia hit the top in the standings. The Italian, however was the next to succumb to the conditions, this time at turn two.
Neither Rossi not Andrea Dovizioso had left the Petronas Yamaha garage with half an hour to go. The pair finally venturing out, with Enea Bastianini for company, at the halfway stage as the majority of the pack returned to the pits.
Pol Espargaro advanced to seventh with 15 minutes left on the clock. Lecuona running fourth from the Ducati duo of Bagnaia and Miller and Oliveira narrowly ahead for third as the Repsol Honda rider joined the top five.
Fabio Quartararo began his Valencia campaign in 11th - and with the new shoulder cam on board - Monster Energy partner Franky Morbidelli one-second behind in 15th with Zarco, and the Aprilia pairing in between. Brad Binder, Luca Marini and Bastianini heading Dovizioso and Alex Marquez with Rossi back in the garage.
Late-session action saw Martin join the Ducati lockout at the head of the standings, Miller leading the way with a 1’40.724 from Bagnaia and the Pramac rider, with Oliveira preventing Zarco from completing the set.
Lecuona advanced to third with five minutes left to run, Nakagami circulating seventh before Marini arrived to fourth. The second Avintia of Bastianini sat on the edge of the top 10 from Morbidelli before the M1 hit second and Miller crashed out at turn one.
Marini continued to shine despite the conditions, claiming second with a 1’41.104 from his fellow VR46 Academy graduate. Lecuona setting the fastest lap of the morning - a 1’40.569 - on his 17th effort in the penultimate minute.
Mir arrived to third as the session counted down, Zarco demoting the former champion one position with his own final effort as Marini found the limit at turn six. Oliveira the last to claim the top three as the chequered flag came out.
Bagnaia ended the morning in sixth from Marini, Morbidelli and Pol Espargaro with Nakagami in 10th. Rins heading Martin, Espargaro, Bastianini and Quartararo in the top 15 from Marquez, Binder, Dovizioso, the fallen Petrucci - who failed to head back out on track after his early crash - Viñales and Rossi. The ’Doctor’ only venturing out for four laps of FP1.
