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Dani Pedrosa topped the timesheet at the end of Friday practice at Aragon. Photo courtesy of MotoGP.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) is the man with a target on his back after Day 1 at the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon, as the 2012 winner at the track went fastest in FP2 to top the combined timesheets on – the only man under the two minute barrier after weather affected track time for the premier class. Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) was second quickest after similarly striking late on in the second session, ahead of rookie Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).
FP1 was fully wet and saw reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) hit the ground running to go quickest, and the local rider was fourth overall after FP2. The skies were largely dry for the second session, but riders remained on rain tyres with some parts of the track much wetter than others and spray kicking up. That’s when Pedrosa and Lorenzo shone and laptimes improved, with the man in fifth also impressing – Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Karel Abraham.
The biggest story of the day, however, belonged to Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), who ventured out in the wet in FP1 to put in some laps and test his fitness, then managing another 13 laps in FP2. The ‘Doctor’ suffered one run off but did over 20 laps on Day 1 as he attempts to race in the Aragon GP after missing only Misano due to his broken leg.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) had a good first day to go P6, ahead of compatriot Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) in an impressive seventh – the man who won the intermediate class race at the track last season. Championship challenger Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had a more muted Day 1 on the timesheets for eighth overall, just ahead of the second Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro. His brother Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was another top performer on Day 1, locking out the top ten on the KTM.
Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team), Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and wildcard KTM test rider Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – who was fifth in the wetter FP1 session – completed the top fifteen on combined times for Friday.
With weather set to change for tomorrow – and improve – it’s now all eyes on the sky for FP3 and direct entry to Q2, and then qualifying from 14:10 (GMT + 1).
2017 MotoGP Aragon Combined Practice Results
1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1’59.858
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) 2’00.072
3. Johann Zarco (Yamaha) 2’00.320
4. Marc Marquez (Honda) 2’00.471
5. Karel Abraham (Ducati) 2’00.471
6. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 2’00.482
7. Sam Lowes (Aprilia) 2’00.585
8. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) 2’00.962
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 2’01.015
10. Pol Espargaro (KTM) 2’01.042
11. Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) 2’01.103
12. Jack Miller (Honda) 2’01.149
13. Bradley Smith (KTM) 2’01.350
14. Andrea Iannone (Suzuki) 2’01.471
15. Mika Kallio (KTM) 2’01.492
16. Scott Redding (Ducati) 2’01.516
17. Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) 2’01.632
18. Jonas Folger (Yamaha) 2’01.745
19. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 2’01.810
20. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2’01.917
21. Alex Rins (Suzuki) 2’02.077
22. Tito Rabat (Honda) 2’02.392
23. Loris Baz (Ducati) 2’02.677
24. Hector Barbera (Ducati) 2’02.935
Courtesy of MotoGP
