Catalunya GP, Friday roundup: MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3

 In MotoGP, News

MotoGP

Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) topped FP1 at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, and the Spaniard kept his throne in the afternoon to go quickest in a dry FP2 and head the combined timesheets on Day 1. The man on the chase was compatriot Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), who shot up into P2 in the afternoon in a strong showing on his race debut at the venue for Ducati. Rookie Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) impressed to lock out the top three, and ended the day only 0.044 ahead of Mugello winner Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in fourth.

Bad weather in the morning saw rain ahead of track action leave the circuit in need of full wets, before FP1 was completed on slicks and the sun stayed out to give the field a fully dry FP2.

Behind the top four, Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) was another Italian keeping his momentum from his hometown heroics going, completing the fastest five on Friday ahead of Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in sixth.

Seventh was another home hero in the form of three-time World Champion Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), with Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) eighth quickest on combined timesheets and escaping unharmed from a slow crash in the final sector in FP2.

Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was P9 on Day 1 at the circuit on which he won last season – his most recent victory – as teammate and Championship leader Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) ended Friday in sixteenth. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) was another high profile name further down the timesheets, taking P19 after a crash in FP2.

Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing) completed the top ten ahead of Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing), Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) and Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).

FP3 decides the top ten initial graduates to Q2 on Saturday morning, before qualifying gets underway with Q1 from 14:10 (GMT +2) on Day 2.

Moto2

Championship leader Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) topped practice timesheets at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya on Friday, quickest in FP2 and overall after a late lap saw him head teammate and home hero Alex Marquez. Morbidelli crashed after his fastest lap, but was unhurt and managed to get restarted.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was third fastest on combined times with his effort from FP1, with Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) also staying in the top echelons with his fastest time from the morning session in fourth. Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) completed the top five.

Mugello winner Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) ended the first day of track action in sixth, just ahead of the fastest rookie – Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2). Navarro topped FP2 before the flag, before some later laps moved him down the order slightly.

Colombian rider Yonny Hernandez (AGR Team) was eighth, ahead of second rookie and podium finisher Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46). Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) completed the top ten.

Eleventh to fifteenth were Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Axel Pons (RW Racing GP), Marcel Schrötter (Intact Dynavolt GP), Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP 40) and Isaac Viñales (BE-A-VIP SAG Team) respectively.

Moto2â„¢ qualify at 15:05 (GMT +2) on Saturday.

 

Moto3

After an early spate of showers over the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, it was Marinelli Rivacold Snipers rider Romano Fenati who was fastest on a wet track on Friday morning – but the Italian just lost out in the afternoon as FP1 crasher Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) bounced back to go fastest by 0.287, heading the combined timesheets on Day 1.

Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) showed more stable pace in the afternoon following an equally strong FP1, completing the top three behind two of the riders who have so far proven big rivals in the title fight.

Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) did a huge wheelie exiting pitlane for the start of FP2 alongside teammate and Mugello winner Andrea Migno, and the two Italians were P4 and P5 respectively on Friday.

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) lined up in P6 on combined times, ahead of Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and an impressive day for Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse). Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Marco Bezzecchi (CIP) – with the Italian also having impressed in FP1 in the top five – completed the top ten at the end of action on Day 1.

Niccolo Antonelli (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing), Livio Loi (Leopard Racing), Mugello podium finisher Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing Team) completed the fastest fifteen on Friday.

Saturday sees Moto3â„¢ qualify at 12:35pm (GMT +2).

Source: motogp.com

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