218mph for Barbera at Mugello
UPDATE: While Hector Barbera's speed set a new record for Mugello, Marc Marquez reached 350.5km/h during this year's season-opening Qatar race.
Avintia Ducati's Hector Barbera reached 350.1km/h (217.8mph) during Friday practice at Mugello.
That beat the previous circuit record of 349.6km/h (217.2mph) by fellow Ducati rider Andrea Iannone during last year's Italian event.
"The bike is really fast, but here in Italy we always go very fast and we reach incredible speeds. But for me the speed is not as important as the results," said Barbera, who was 18th fastest in the session.
Desmosedici riders (Open, Satellite and Factory) filled the top five places on the top speed charts this afternoon, followed by the factory Hondas of Dani Pedrosa (345.2km/h) and Marc Marquez (345.1km/h).
The quickest Yamaha was Bradley Smith's Tech 3 machine in eighth (344.1km/h). Factory M1 riders Jorge Lorenzo (342.0km/h) and Valentino Rossi (339.9km/h) were ranked twelfth and 15th.
The top Suzuki was Maverick Vinales with 338.1km/h, with Marco Melandri the quickest Aprilia at 335.2km/h.
The slowest machine was the Aprilia ART of Alex de Angelis, who set a best of 327.7km/h.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
