Lorenzo sets Friday pace at Valencia, Marquez falls
Jorge Lorenzo fuelled his hopes of a 2017 Ducati victory by leading Friday practice for the Valencia MotoGP season finale.
Just twelfth in a chilly morning session, the triple MotoGP champion ruled the faster afternoon outing with a best lap time of 1m 30.640s, set on soft tyres during his final run.
That put the Spaniard, winner of last year's event on his Yamaha farewell, 0.122s clear of Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, whose best lap came while using a medium front and soft rear.
Jorge Lorenzo fuelled his hopes of a 2017 Ducati victory by leading Friday practice for the Valencia MotoGP season finale.
Just twelfth in a chilly morning session, the triple MotoGP champion ruled the faster afternoon outing with a best lap time of 1m 30.640s, set on soft tyres during his final run.
That put the Spaniard, winner of last year's event on his Yamaha farewell, 0.122s clear of Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, whose best lap came while using a medium front and soft rear.
Lorenzo's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, who starts the final round 21 points from title leader Marc Marquez, completed a top three covered by 0.309s. The Italian also used the medium-soft tyres to set his quickest lap.
Marquez, who only needs an eleventh-place finish (updated) even if Dovizioso wins on Sunday, suffered his 26th fall of the season on the way to fifth place in both sessions. Marquez ran the hard front and soft rear throughout FP2.
Between Dovizioso and Marquez was top rookie and independent rider Johann Zarco who put his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine 0.414s from Lorenzo, using soft-soft tyres.
Jack Miller (Marc VDS Honda), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), wild-card Michele Pirro (Ducati), Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) and Pol Espargaro (KTM) completed the FP2 top ten.
Both Pol Espargaro and older brother Aleix (Aprilia) fell at the end of FP2. Suzuki's Andrea Iannone, a surprise fastest in this morning's FP1 session, also walked away from a big tumble, ending the session down in 18th.
Iannone, Miller, Pol Espargaro, Mika Kallio and Danilo Petrucci failed to beat their best morning lap time.
But Iannone was fourth fastest on combined lap times, nudging Rossi outside of the top ten, with team-mate Maverick Vinales in eleventh.
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.
