Source: Supplied.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took first blood as the third and final pre-season test got underway at Losail International Circuit in Qatar, setting the fastest lap of the night and quicker than new teammate Jorge Lorenzo’s race lap record.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) completed the top three, however there were a number of high profile crashers including reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

At the front was ‘DesmoDovi’, who has been on the podium at Losail for the last two years and set a best lap of 1m54.819s to get under the race lap record of 1m54.927s. The Italian put in 36 laps as work continues on the Desmosedici GP17, with no big visible aero updates for the Borgo Panigale factory in Qatar – yet.

Dovizioso’s teammate, five-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo, continued his steady progress of adaptation, ending an solid first day under the floodlights in fifth with a best of 1m55.616s. His replacement at Movistar Yamaha, Maverick Viñales, had another impressive day in the office at Losail, as the fastest man in pre-season so far ended day one in second.

Teammate and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, who left Phillip Island outside the top 10 on combined times, had an improved position after the first day in the desert, finishing up seventh. Cal Crutchlow was the fastest Honda out the blocks, as the two-time GP winner put LCR Honda in P3.

The next Honda on the timesheets was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa in eighth, with Marquez in 12th on day one. He crashed twice on the first day, including a fall when first trying a new aero fairing for his Repsol Honda machine.

The superstar of the first day was Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team), who took a stunning fourth. The Czech rider is returning from WorldSBK and got up to speed quickly on his Desmosedici GP15 in Qatar on Friday night.

Jonas Folger was again the fastest rookie, as in Phillip Island, and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider lined up just behind Lorenzo on the time-sheets in sixth. French fellow rookie teammate Johann Zarco ended day one in ninth, marking another impressive performance from both.

Iannone completed the top 10 despite crashing, the Italian just ahead of compatriot Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) in 11th. Behind Marquez in 12th, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) completed the top 15th.

Action continues on Saturday at Losail International Circuit, with two official days of testing now left until the lights go out for FP1 at the same venue on 26 March.