News 14 Jul 2018

Lorenzo leads the way on Friday at German MotoGP

Australia's Miller slots into position eight following day one.

Image: Supplied.

Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo ripped up the Honda-drenched formbook on day one at the Pramac German Grand Prix, taking Ducati to the top of the time-sheets near the end of FP2.

Lorenzo set a 1m20.885s lap-time, only half a second outside the best pole position at the track set by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in 2015.

Lorenzo left it late to top the provisional Q2 graduates and was joined in the upper echelons by Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) and Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar). No less than 18 riders were within a second.

It was a first day characterised by surprisingly pleasant weather and some surprises on the time-sheets, some key headlines from which saw Marquez, winner and pole-sitter for the last eight years, in fifth and teammate Dani Pedrosa just inside the top 20.

Pedrosa is the man who won three in a row at the venue before Marquez’s roll began, making Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) the last non-Repsol Honda rider to take to the top step at the venue in 2009 and he was another headline, ending Friday in P17.

Back at the top behind Lorenzo, Petrucci and Iannone, it was another Ducati machine in fourth as Borgo Panigale dominated the day, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in close company and only 0.040s ahead of Marquez as it tightened up.

The gaps didn’t get any bigger going further down the time-sheets either, with top Yamaha Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) taking sixth. Takaaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) took P7, just ahead of Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing), riding a Ducati at the venue for the first time and LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow.

Alvaro Bautista completed the top 10 on combined times for the Angel Nieto Team, with the Spaniard’s recent run of form remaining with him in Germany. He beat Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) to provisional Q2 entry, with Rins looking to move forward in FP3 after his best ever MotoGP finish last time out at Assen.

German Stefan Bradl is back on track earlier than expected after getting a call up to ride for EG 0,0 Marc VDS this weekend. The HRC test rider took over for FP2 in place of the injured Franco Morbidelli, who damaged his hand in a crash at Assen and Bradl’s best put him only a tenth and a half off Pedrosa.

Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) topped the Moto2 times after the opening day’s track action, from second quickest Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and fellow Dynavolt Intact GP rider and home favourite Marcel Schroetter. Tech3 Racing’s Remy Gardner was P16, just 0.399s from the top.

Home rider Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) went quickest in FP2 to end Friday at the top of the Moto3 time-sheets, beating second fastest Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team), with championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) in third.

Detailed results

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