Lorenzo surprises as he tops second Motegi practice

Jorge Lorenzo was the surprise leader after second practice at the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.

The Spaniard posted a 1:45.151 on his final lap for Yamaha as the two Honda riders both crashed late on.

Marc Marquez set the pace early as he posted a new fastest time for the weekend within the first 10 minutes.

Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro were finding the going a little more difficult, however, with crashes at Turn’s 9 and 10 respectively.

Yamaha looked to be struggling around a circuit owned by their main rivals Honda. Valentino Rossi barely made the top 10 throughout the session albeit Jorge Lorenzo was fairing better in fourth.

Morning pacesetter Andrea Dovizioso would reclaim top spot just before the halfway mark edging seven-thousandths of a second clear of Marquez.

The Ducati rider was the only man at the front to use the soft compound Michelin on the rear of his bike.

Suzuki look competitive as well with Maverick Vinales holding third ahead of the man he replaces next year, Lorenzo.

Into the final 10 minutes, however, and it was drama and changes aplenty as both Honda riders crashed out.

Marquez, who had already saved one massive moment at Turn 1, slid off at the Turn 10 hairpin before teammate Dani Pedrosa had a nasty high-side spill moments later down the next straight at Turn 11. Eugene Laverty also had a massive crash at the high-speed Turn 6 and has since been taken to the hospital.

At the same time, Rossi upped his pace moving to the top of the timings briefly. He would fall back down quite sharply, however, as Dovizioso and then Vinales moved in front.

Marquez would recover and improve to finish fourth ahead of Cal Crutchlow and Aleix Espargaro. Then would come Rossi in seventh ahead of Petrucci, Pedrosa was only ninth and, despite his early crash, Pol Espargaro’s lap time would still see him 10th.

The biggest move came right at the end with Jorge Lorenzo’s final lap taking him to the top of the timings.

Marquez will certainly look to make up for his error though it’s not good news for teammate Pedrosa. The Spaniard has been diagnosed with a broken collarbone after his crash and will fly home tonight.

Ducati and Suzuki look firmly in the mix too. Want proof? The top seven were covered by less than four-tenths of a second.