KTM’s title rivals Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez held Friday’s Valencia times as they did the Moto2 standings, from the top.
Elf Marc VDS’s Augusto Fernandez completed the top three from Celestino Vietti, Xavi Vierge and Jake Dixon. While Sam Lowes struggled to recover from an FP1 fall, in 23rd.
Moto2 practice got underway without Ai Ogura, after the Honda Asia rider was declared unfit due to his left foot fracture. Lowes suffering another brutal bite from the Valencia layout - after last year’s two painful visits - with a turn five highside in the opening minutes.
Hafizh Syahrin headed the initial times on the wet track but with the rain abating, conditions were expected to improve throughout the 40-minute session.
Tony Arbolino was the next to take charge, with a 1’49.180, before Barry Baltus and Fermín Aldeguer arrived. Joe Roberts and Tetsuta Nagashima completing the top six after 10 minutes of action as Tom Luthi suffered a highside out of turn 13 on his final weekend as a Moto2 rider.
Birthday boy Marco Bezzecchi arrived to fourth as news on his MotoGP promotion in the VR46 team was confirmed. Current teammate Vietti following him for fifth - and to be joined by Niccolò Antonelli in Moto2 next season - before the leaders shuffled the standings once more.
Roberts took control on low 1’47 pace as the halfway stage approached before improving next time around with a 1’46.966. Aldeguer and Vietti ran top three before Syahrin and Raul Fernandez demoted them back with both Sky riders battling repeatedly in the top five.
Aaron Canet was the next to strike as conditions brightened. The Aspar rider equalling the American’s 1’46.9 before heading for the pits, Hector Garzo and Augusto Fernandez quick to better at the top of the times.
A quiet start from championship leader Gardner found the KTM rider down in 23rd, his teammate and rival running 12th with two seconds separating the pair and 15 minutes left of FP1 to play. Dixon facing a similar fate, from 20th.
Somkiat Chantra became the next to fall at turn four as the session counted down. Roberts back at the front as he refined the pace with a 46.6 with Nicolò Bulega and Lorenzo Baldassarri entering the top 10.
Augusto Fernandez headed the session in the closing minutes with a 1’45.968 from the Italtrans rider and Garzo, despite the Flexbox machine crashing out of his 18th lap. Baltus sat fourth, himself suffering a late-session fall, with Cameron Beaubier down at turn two, from 19th, as the flag prepared.
A bruised Lowes returned to action in the afternoon after his dramatic morning fall. Jorge Navarro leading the way in the FP2 times from Luthi and Garzo before Simone Corsi took charge with his fifth lap.
Title rivals Fernandez and Gardner were back in their usual one/two positions after 15 minutes, Navarro remaining in the top three with Canet and Vierge behind and all on low 1’36 pace.
The Petronas Sprinta rider promoted himself to second with his 10th lap of the afternoon while his teammate Dixon circulated in 12th. Lowes narrowly adrift of Q2 contention in 15th and back in the box at the halfway stage.
Opposing fortunes from the morning session for the American riders found Beaubier inside the promotion zone as the final stages got underway, Roberts circulating in 28th and 1.3 seconds adrift of the leading time but only half a second back from his P13 placed countryman.
The closing 10 minutes saw Vietti up to eighth, three-tenths faster than his 18th placed teammate as Fernandez advanced the benchmark out front. 1’36.016 the initial target before the rookie improved next time around to a 1’35.9.
Fabio Di Giannantonio showcased his own late pace as he rose to third, Vietti and Dixon claiming fourth and fifth with six minutes remaining with Lowes back in the pits from 19th.
Stefano Manzi denied the Gresini rider his P3 position until Gardner finally arrived. The Australian setting a 1’35.857 to dominate overall.
The top-six charge continued as the session concluded with Augusto Fernandez, Vierge and Vietti all refining their pace from third to fifth. The leading duo split by just 0.008s, a fitting summary of their 2021 season as a whole.
Fernandez took the session at the flag from his KTM teammate with his namesake claiming third before the rookie’s time was deleted. Vietti bettering Vierge with his own final effort as fellow Sky rider Bezzecci jumped to eighth. Dixon joining his own teammate in the top six with Lowes defeated on a personal best in the final sector, completing the day in 23rd.
