Source: Supplied.

The second day of testing at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit wrote another chapter of what is fast becoming a familiar story in 2017 so far.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s newest recruit Maverick Viñales took to the top and remaining unchallenged as he continued his pre-season form.

Reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was second fastest, ahead of LCR Honda rider and 2016 winner at the track Cal Crutchlow.

After ending day one in fourth, Viñales hit the top of the time-sheets early on the second day, remaining there until the close of business.

Fastest in Valencia and fastest in Sepang, Valentino Rossi’s new teammate did 80 laps with a best of 1m28.847s – almost half a second clear of Marquez in P2 and setting red sectors in the final minutes of the session to set a good run of ominous lap-times.

Rossi almost equaled the lap-count of his teammate with 70 laps, but after going second on day one, ended day two in eighth with a 1m29.674s. The Italian showed good pace on longer runs, with a number of 1m29s.

Marquez did the most laps on the second day in Australia, clocking up over a century with a best of 1m29.309s – another with a good number of laps in the 1m29s bracket.

Teammate Dani Pedrosa was ill on the second day, but did get out of the box in the afternoon to complete 40 laps in a busy two hours on track for the three-time world champion. Pedrosa’s best was a 1m30.245s, putting him 16th and just behind new Ducati Team rider Jorge Lorenzo.

Lorenzo continued his adjustment to the Desmosedici on day two, ending the day in P15, but improving on his pace from the first session.

A best of 1m30.197s saw the ‘Spartan’ around seven tenths off his teammate Andrea Dovizioso, but four tenths quicker than day one. The Spaniard put in over 60 laps, and the Italian 55. ‘DesmoDovi’ was fifth today, his fastest lap a 1m29.483s and a second quicker than his Wednesday best.

Cal Crutchlow was the fastest Independent Team rider once again – after also taking victory at the track in 2016 – and ended the day in third on a 1m29.325s, less than a tenth ahead of Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Alvaro Bautista.

Bautista was also a key presence in the higher echelons of the time-sheets during testing in Sepang as he gets to grips with the Desmosedici Ducati for the first time, and impressed once again in Australia.

After a more difficult first day on track for Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), the Spaniard made a vast improvement on day two to take sixth with a 1m29.501s after 69 laps, with teammate and rookie Sam Lowes also improving to a 1m30.895s.

Behind Espargaro in seventh on the time-sheets was Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), as the German impressed once again. Folger, fastest rookie on day one and consolidating his position today, did another 65 laps with a best of 1m29.664s, a tenth and a half quicker than his teammate, reigning Moto2 champion Johann Zarco. Zarco did 88 laps and ended the day in P11.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also took some rookie honours, beating new teammate Andrea Iannone on the time-sheets for the first time. Rins ended day two ninth on a 1m29.802s, with Iannone in P12 and the first rider on the board to not improve his time from day one, although marginally. Rins did 80 laps, with the ‘Maniac’ almost matching him on 72.

EG0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller was in the top 10 once again on day two. The Assen winner improved to a 1m29.838s in the second session, taking more than half a second off his Wednesday best. The 2016 Dutch GP winner did 83 laps.

Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) was a big improver to move up to P13 with a 1m30.142s as he returns from WorldSBK, with Octo Pramac Racing’s Danilo Petrucci in 14th, ahead of Lorenzo. Petrucci did 65 laps on his Ducati GP17, with a best of 1m30.150s, only 0.008s off Abraham and 0.047s ahead of the number 99.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing improved by six tenths on day two with Pol Espargaro, as the Spaniard went down from a best of 1m31.200s to a 1m30.645s and put another 59 laps on the clock. Teammate Bradley Smith also improved his time by nine-tenths and put in 81 laps.

The third and final day of track action at Phillip Island then sees the paddock next on track in Qatar for a test, previewing the venue for the first race of 2017.