News 17 Mar 2018

Dovizioso fastest in Qatar on Friday as MotoGP begins

Miller concludes day one 14th on the time-sheets at Losail.

Image: Supplied.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso started Qatar’s opening round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship in the best possible way as the Italian ended Friday at the top of the timing screens.

The Italian stunned his rivals with a lap-time of 1m54.361s to put him just 0.006s ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) – top independent rider – and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

The most successful rider at the venue Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) secured fourth position overall, with Italian Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the top five. Reigning world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) ended the day in sixth, just 0.001s ahead his teammate Dani Pedrosa.

Honda’s Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was eighth as the second of the Independent team runners to go just ahead of ninth-placed Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).

At the moment, 2017 Qatar GP winner Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) is 11th on combined times, while Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was P14 and fastest of the rookies was Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in 15th.

In Moto2 Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) started his season in perfect form by ending day one in Qatar on top of the time-sheets with a 2m00.932s, just 0.038s in front of the returning Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) and Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46). Remy Gardner (Tech3 Racing) was 12th overall.

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini) started the Moto3 season in much the same way as he finished in 2017, on top of the charts. Beneath the lap record with a 2m05.590s, he was over six-tenths in front of Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing).

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