MotoGP of the Americas, Austin - Friday Practice Results

Friday practice results from the Americas MotoGP at COTA in Austin, Texas, round 3 of 21 in the 2023 world championship.
Jorge Martin , MotoGP, Grand Prix Of The Americas, 14 April
Jorge Martin , MotoGP, Grand Prix Of The Americas, 14 April
2023 MotoGP of the Americas, Austin - Practice (2) Results
Pos RiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1^5Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)2'02.178s19/20341k
2^5Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.063s20/21341k
3^6Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+0.217s19/20342k
4˅3Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.238s20/21343k
5˅1Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.504s20/21340k
6^2Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.539s22/22342k
7˅5Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.543s19/20338k
8^3Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.557s18/18344k
9^9Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.587s19/20342k
10˅5Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.663s18/19340k
11^3Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.700s20/22343k
12=Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.726s16/17339k
13˅3Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+1.030s20/20335k
14˅11Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+1.151s17/17339k
15=Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.162s14/14340k
16˅3Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.265s14/18339k
17^4Michele PirroITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.507s17/18341k
18˅2Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.512s17/19339k
19˅2Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.901s16/17340k
20=Stefan BradlGERRepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.951s14/18333k
21˅2Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+2.383s15/16338k
22=Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)+4.351s17/17334k

Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than Practice 1.
= Rider is same position as Practice 1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than Practice 1.

* Rookie

Official COTA MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 2m 2.039s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 2m 3.575s (2015)

Jorge Martin leads Friday practice for the Americas MotoGP in Austin, Texas, while title leader Marco Bezzecchi misses the top ten sending him to Saturday's Qualifying 1.

Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, among those not to fit a new soft rear tyre this morning, moved swiftly to the top in the afternoon (again on mediums). However, Luca Marini's 2m 3.250s remained the best of the day until another Ducati rider, Pramac's Martin, dipped under the VR46 rider at the halfway mark of the hour.

Martin was still in charge as time attacks began in the final 15 minutes and Joan Mir surprised by putting Repsol Honda fastest on his return from injury. Former Suzuki team-mate Alex Rins, Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, Marini and then Bagnaia (now on the favoured hard front, soft rear) then all featured on top before the crucial final run.

That was when Martin hooked a useful tow from Alex Marquez to deliver his 2m 2.178s, while a fall for team-mate Johann Zarco (which also caused Mir to take evasive action and tumble) brought out yellow flags to cancel some other last laps.

Former COTA winner Rins, Marini and Marquez completed the top five with Vinales the top Aprilia in sixth with Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo saving a feet-off 'rodeo' moment (and impact to a 'delicate area') on his way to seventh.

Both Red Bull KTMs made the top ten, sandwiching Aleix Espargaro.

Riders directly to Qualifying 2 - Top 10 Combined Practice Times:
PosRiderNatTeam
1Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)
2Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)
3Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)
4Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)
5Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)
6Maverick VinalesSPAAprilia Factory (RS-GP23)
7Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)
8Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)
9Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Factory (RS-GP23)
10Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)

RNF Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira suffered a fast fall at Turn 2 after clipping the kerb early in the afternoon, then a much slower fall after losing the front at Turn 12, causing him to drop from an early first to 15th.

After light rain showers in both the Moto3 and Moto2 afternoon sessions, the one-hour MotoGP Practice 2 passed without further moisture.

That should have been a big relief for the likes of Bezzecchi, who had been left 14th after a fall on his time attack this morning - but the VR46 Ducati rider again missed out with 11th this afternoon.

Update: Alex Rins has his fastest FP1 lap reinstated moving him from 14th to 9th and pushing Brad Binder out of the top ten.

2023 MotoGP of the Americas, Austin - Practice (1) Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)2'03.250s13/14342k
2Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.150s15/15335k
3Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.278s15/16343k
4Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.301s15/16338k
5Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.426s14/14338k
6Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.458s14/15344k
7Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.542s14/14343k
8Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.647s13/16340k
9Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+0.847s14/16338k
10Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+0.889s14/16335k
11Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.954s16/17343k
12Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.062s14/14335k
13Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.092s15/16336k
14Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+1.114s15/15344k
15Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.411s5/13340k
16Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.654s14/15336k
17Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.656s16/16339k
18Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+1.804s5/14338k
19Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+2.482s8/17334k
20Stefan BradlGERRepsol Honda (RC213V)+2.521s13/15333k
21Michele PirroITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+2.522s13/13340k
22Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)+4.926s11/12334k

 

* Rookie

Official COTA MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 2m 2.039s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 2m 3.575s (2015)

Luca Marini leads opening practice for the 2023 MotoGP of the Americas at a cloudy COTA in Austin, Texas.

The uncertain weather gave extra incentive for a top ten place this morning, with Marini's VR46 Ducati team-mate and title leader Marco Bezzecchi among those needing a dry FP2 this afternoon to avoid a trip to Saturday's Qualifying 1.

COTA king Marc Marquez may be absent this weekend but the Marquez name was still on the top of the timesheets after ten minutes courtesy of younger brother Alex.

The Gresini Ducati rider, third in the wet last time in Termas de Rio Hondo, kept improving to stay on keep command through the middle stages before finally being deposed by Fabio Quartararo.

Yamaha's former world champion, who had fitted a new medium rear tyre, edged slightly further away from Marquez on his next lap but was still only 0.097s clear as the final ten minutes began.

Some new soft tyres materialised in the last five minutes when Maverick Vinales shot to the top for Aprilia, before Marini snathed P1 from the Spaniard.

Quartararo put up a fight to briefly take it back but the Frenchman ultimately couldn't contain Marini with Pramac Ducati's Johann Zarco, Alex Marquez and KTM's Jack Miller (who recovered from an earlier fall) completing the top six on soft rubber.

Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin was the leading rider on the mediums in sixth followed by reigning champion and Portimao winner Francesco Bagnaia, who lost the early 2023 title lead after a fall from second in Argentina. The Italian was in the top three for much of the session on his way to seventh after electing not to use a new soft rear.

Alex Rins, the only previous COTA winner on track his weekend, was likewise a persistent contender at the sharp end until the time attacks when he was pushed down to 14th after electing to stick with the medium rubber.

New MotoGP race winner Bezzecchi began the weekend in 13th after a late fall at the slow Turn 12, at the end of the back straight.

Jonas Folger's first MotoGP weekend since 2017, in place of Pol Espargaro, began with a black and orange flag due to a technical issue with his GASGAS Tech3 bike in the opening minutes of FP1. Rookie team-mate Augusto Fernandez was then the first faller of the weekend shortly after.

Remote video URL

While Miguel Oliveira and Joan Mir are returning to action this weekend, three riders remain absent due to injuries at last month’s Portimao season opener:

Pol Espargaro is being replaced at Tech3 by KTM test rider Jonas Folger, last year’s COTA winner Enea Bastianini is being replaced by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro and Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez is being replaced by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl.

Marquez has won seven of the previous COTA races, his only defeats coming in 2019 (when he fell from the lead, with Alex Rins taking victory) and 2021 (when he fought from last to sixth after a technical issue at the start).

The MotoGP Court of Appeal is yet to decide if Marquez's double long-lap penalty will be carried over from Argentina to his next event.

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