217mph Iannone breaks MotoGP top speed record
UPDATE: After qualifying, Brembo released figures showing an average top speed for its MotoGP riders of 361km/h (224mph) at the end of the Mugello home straight! This figure came from telemetry data, rather than a speed trap system used for official top speeds.
Saturday morning at the Italian MotoGP saw Pramac Ducati's Andrea Iannone credited with a huge top speed of 349.6km/h (217.2mph) by official timing.
If confirmed, that would beat the previous MotoGP speed record of 349.3km/h (217.1mph) set by Dani Pedrosa during practice for the 2009 Mugello round on an 800cc Honda.
Iannone's next highest top speed this morning was a 344.7km/h (214.2mph) suggesting he may have benefitted from a slipstream to reach the one-off 349.
Despite the straight line performance, Iannone was unable to improve on his Friday lap time and finished Free Practice 3 in tenth place.
Factory Ducati rider Cal Crutchlow set the next highest top speed this morning at 345.4km/h (214.6mph).
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.
