Image: Supplied.

LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow set the Friday benchmark in MotoGP at Jerez, with the Argentina GP winner taking to the top in FP2 and leader on the combined time-sheets.

Crutchlow was 0.028s clear of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), 0.091s ahead of Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and still not even a tenth in front of Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in fourth.

As well as the incredible equality of the top four within a tenth, the top 15 ended day one within a second and the whole grid was covered by two seconds – a tantalizing prospect for race day if it remains the same.

Pedrosa, who is still recovering from a broken wrist, put in a stunning performance once again to not only threaten the top but also show some key consistency, with Zarco just behind him and top Yamaha. Iannone kept his solid form rolling after his rostrum finish in Texas.

In fifth was another key moment of the day as reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), despite having shown awesome pace throughout both sessions, crashed out towards the end of FP2. Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who went fastest in FP1, was sixth, with his teammate Jorge Lorenzo taking seventh.

Australia’s Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was the top Independent Team Ducati rider in P8 overall after more solid top 10 pace, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) taking ninth after a late move up from outside provisional Q2 entry. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the top 10.

Last year’s Jerez winner Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) marched to the top of the Moto2 time-sheets on the opening day, with his 1m42.537s almost three tenths clear of second-place man Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) and championship leader Franceso Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46).

In Moto3 it was Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) set a blistering pace on Friday afternoon, improving his time by two seconds from FP1 to be the only rider to venture into the 1m46s and go fastest overall. Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was his closest challenger, with teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio third.

Detailed results