Marc Marquez topped the timesheets on the first day of the San Marino Grand Prix. Image: MotoGP.com.

Yamaha may have added the new seamless transition gearbox to their arsenal but it was Honda who turned on the pace on the opening day of the San Marino Grand Prix, led, once again, by Marc Marquez.

The championship leader topped the first free practice session, registering a 1m34.476 lap to hold out Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa by a 0.222-second margin.

The gap between the factory stablemates was reduced to just 0.033 seconds by the end of free practice two, with Marquez on top again.

Third-fastest went to Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi, 0.037 seconds quicker than his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.

CRT pilot Aleix Espargaro surprised with the fifth-fastest time overall on his Power Electronics Aspar Aprilia, lapping over a second quicker than any other rider in the class.

Gresini Honda’s Alvaro Bautista was sixth, from Michele Pirro, Andrea Dovizioso, Stefan Bradl and Cal Crutchlow.

Australia’s Bryan Staring rounded out the opening day in 23rd place.

Italtrans Racing Team rider Takaaki Nakagami was the Moto2 pacesetter in free practice, topping both sessions.

The Japanese rider lowered his best lap time to a 1m38.291 in the afternoon session, edging out Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro by one-thousandth of a second.

Espargaro’s teammate Esteve Rabat ran third, with points leader Scott Redding fourth and Johann Zarco completing the top five.

Ant West was the best of the two Aussies, registering 25th, while Jason O’Halloran made a solid start to just his second-ever grand prix, 29th fastest on the JiR Moto2 Motobi.

KTM riders turned the fastest laps in the Moto3 field on Friday, with Estrella Galicia’s Alex Rins quickest from Team Calvo’s Maverick Vinales.

Alex Marquez was third fastest, with Jonas Folger fourth and Brad Binder fifth.

Jack Miller placed eighth on his Honda, just hours after the news of his move to Red Bull KTM Ajo for 2014 was announced. Would-be teammate Arthur Sissis was 16th.

2013 MotoGP World Championship
Round 13 – San Marino, Misano

MotoGP free practice results:
1. Marc MARQUEZ 1m34.200
2. Dani PEDROSA 1m34.233
3. Valentino ROSSI 1m34.458
4. Jorge LORENZO 1m34.495
5. Aleix ESPARGARO 1m34.732
6. Alvaro BAUTISTA 1m34.858
7. Michele PIRRO 1m34.889
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO 1m34.901
9. Stefan BRADL 1m35.107
10. Cal CRUTCHLOW 1m35.208
11. Andrea IANNONE 1m35.218
12. Nicky HAYDEN 1m35.431
13. Danilo PETRUCCI 1m35.933
14. Bradley SMITH 1m36.004
15. Claudio CORTI 1m36.122
16. Colin EDWARDS 1m36.181
17. Hector BARBERA 1m36.253
18. Randy DE PUNIET 1m36.283
19. Hiroshi AOYAMA 1m36.646
20. Karel ABRAHAM 1m37.310
23. Bryan STARING (AUS) 1m37.722

Moto2 free practice results:
1. Takaaki NAKAGAMI 1m38.291
2. Pol ESPARGARO 1m38.292
3. Esteve RABAT 1m38.321
4. Scott REDDING 1m38.657
5. Johann ZARCO 1m38.658
6. Thomas LUTHI 1m38.696
7. Julian SIMON 1m38.744
8. Mika KALLIO 1m38.774
9. Xavier SIMEON 1m38.817
10. Mattia PASINI 1m38.851
11. Dominique AEGERTER 1m38.860
12. Sandro CORTESE 1m38.956
13. Nicolas TEROL 1m39.003
14. Marcel SCHROTTER 1m39.031
15. Jordi TORRES 1m39.092
16. Danny KENT 1m39.127
17. Simone CORSI 1m39.459
18. Alex DE ANGELIS 1m39.703
19. Randy KRUMMENACHER 1m39.747
20. Ricard CARDUS 1m39.808
25. Anthony WES (AUS) 1m40.176
29. Jason O’HALLORAN (AUS) 1m40.671

Moto3 free practice results:
1. Alex RINS 1m43.457
2. Maverick VIÑALES 1m43.740
3. Alex MARQUEZ 1m43.826
4. Jonas FOLGER 1m44.223
5. Brad BINDER 1m44.263
6. Luis SALOM 1m44.389
7. Isaac VIÑALES 1m44.403
8. Jack MILLER 1m44.441
9. Niccolò ANTONELLI 1m44.527
10. Miguel OLIVEIRA 1m44.558
11. Philipp OETTL 1m44.819
12. Eric GRANADO 1m44.856
13. Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN 1m44.856
14. Alessandro TONUCCI 1m44.870
15. Matteo FERRARI 1m44.946
16. Arthur SISSIS 1m44.954
17. Jakub KORNFEIL 1m44.972
18. Niklas AJO 1m45.068
19. Efren VAZQUEZ 1m45.218
20. Andrea LOCATELLI 1m45.254

Click here for detailed results