Source: MotoGP.

NGM Forward Yamaha’s Aleix Espargaro has topped the timesheets after the first day of track activity at Jerez, with the Open class rider again upstaging the complete factory fold.

Free practice one presented ideal conditions for riders, with Espargaro taking advantage of access to an extra-soft rear compound to set a 1m39.357 lap, 0.357 seconds clear of Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo in second.

The afternoon session saw track temperatures rise considerably, negating any advantage Espargaro had enjoyed early in the piece.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez topped the second session but was also held back by the conditions, posting a time exactly fourth-tenths slower than the benchmark from free practice one.

Six of the day’s fastest times would carry over from free practice one, with Espargaro on top from Lorenzo and Marquez.

Dani Pedrosa was half-a-second off the pace for fourth on the second Repsol Honda mount, with Andrea Dovizioso continuing Ducati’s consistent start with fifth.

Valentino Rossi was sixth on the second Movistar Yamaha M1, with Gresini Honda’s Alvaro Bautista seventh, LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl eighth, Jonny Hernandez and Andrea Iannone ninth and 10th respectively for Pramac Ducati.

Ducati’s Cal Crutchlow returns from injury this weekend, easing his way into the initial workload with 18th fastest overall. The Brit did admit he is feeling considerable pain in his injured hand under change of direction, and will face a tough task this weekend as the race draws nearer.

Brock Parkes kicked off his maiden GP outing at Jerez with 23rd place following day one.

The Paul Bird Motorsport rider set his quickest lap, a 1m42.171, in free practice one, before falling shy of that time by around three-tenths as the temperature rose in the second and final outing of the day.

The Moto2 field experienced similar temperature challenges as the premier class on Friday, with Marc VDS rider Esteve Rabat’s early lap, a 1m43.486s, remaining the one to beat as the heat beat down.

All of the top 10 runners would set their best laps in free practice one, with Rabat’s teammate Mika Kallio in second, just 0.078 seconds behind, and AGR Team’s Jonas Folger in third.

Xavier Simeon was fourth fastest on the Gresini Moto2 mount, with Dynavolt Intact GP’s Sandro Cortee completing the top five, separated from the leader by only 0.258 seconds.

Anthony West looks set for another points-paying weekend in Spain, setting the 13th fastest time of the day on his QMMF Racing Team machine, just half-a-second away from Rabat.

Calvo Team KTM rider Isaac Vinales set the pace in the Moto3 class, with his best effort set in the earlier session, edging out Estrella Galicia’s Alex Marquez by 0.311 seconds.

Efren Vazquez made it two Hondas in the top three, with the KTMs of Romano Fenati and Jakub Kornfeil sealing fourth and fifth.

It was a tough day for championship leader Jack Miller, with the Aussie 0.672 seconds off the pace in seventh after mechanical troubles slowed his charge.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider made an extended visit to the pits early in the piece and was left to chase setup in the afternoon session.

Arthur Sissis rounded out day one in 24th place for Mahindra Racing, with the second Aussie in-class 1.761 seconds off the class leader’s best.

2014 MotoGP World Championship
Round four – Jerez, Spain

MotoGP free practice results:
1. Aleix ESPARGARO 1m39.357
2. Jorge LORENZO 1m39.714
3. Marc MARQUEZ 1m39.757
4. Dani PEDROSA 1m39.860
5. Andrea DOVIZIOSO 1m40.028
6. Valentino ROSSI 1m40.125
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA 1m40.560
8. Stefan BRADL 1m40.644
9. Yonny HERNANDEZ 1m40.686
10. Andrea IANNONE 1m40.742
23. Broc PARKES (AUS) 1m42.171

Moto2 free practice results:
1. Esteve RABAT 1m43.486
2. Mika KALLIO 1m43.564
3. Jonas FOLGER 1m43.666
4. Xavier SIMEON 1’43.668
5. Sandro CORTESE 1’43.744
6. Nico TEROL 1’43.813
7. Thom LUTHI 1’43.814
8. Maverick VIÑALES 1’43.930
9. Luis SALOM 1’43.937
10. Takaaki NAKAGAMI 1’43.984
13. Anthony WEST (AUS) 1’44.025

Moto3 free practice results:
1. Isaac VIÑALES 1m47.388
2. Alex MARQUEZ 1m47.699
3. Efren VAZQUEZ 1m47.725
4. Romano FENATI 1m47.799
5. Jakub KORNFEIL 1m47.843
6. Miguel OLIVEIRA 1m47.895
7. Jack MILLER (AUS) 1m48.060
8. Alex RINS 1m48.118
9. John MCPHEE 1m48.132
10. Gabriel RODRIGO 1m48.207
24. Arthur SISSIS (AUS) 1m49.149

Click here for detailed results