Andrea Dovizioso edged Ducati stablemate Alvaro Bautista to top spot in the opening MotoGP practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, while championship rival Marc Marquez was fifth.
After streaking 33 points clear of the Italian with a win at Phillip Island last weekend, Honda’s Marquez comes into the Sepang race with his first opportunity to wrap up a fourth premier class crown.
A brief rain shower left the 3.44-mile Sepang International Circuit damp in patches for the start of first practice, and only a handful of riders ventured out on wet tyres to set flying laps.
Tech3’s Johann Zarco was the early pacesetter on wet tyres with a 2m11.428s, before a slick-shod Bautista took his Aspar Ducati to the top of the pile with a 2m09.804s.
The Spaniard’s lap saw several more riders spring into action and test the conditions on slicks, though most quickly returned to their garage while Bautista continued to lower the benchmark pace with a 2m09.553s.
Marc VDS Honda’s Jack Miller soon began to set the pace, the Australian going fastest with a 2m07.194s, before improving to a 2m05.774s. Scott Redding then took over from Miller with a 2m04.358s.
With 20 minutes remaining, conditions had improved significantly and top spot changed hands frequently, as Bautista, Marquez and Zarco traded session-best laps.
With the threat of rain ever present at Sepang, a flurry of fast laps were posted in the final minutes of first practice as riders tried to secure a place inside the top 10 and a potential Q2 spot.
Marquez was top with four minutes remaining on a 2m00.950s, but was deposed by Bautista with a 2m00.742s as the chequered flag fell.
The Spaniard was denied by just 0.071 seconds by Dovizioso on his final lap, while Zarco slotted into third ahead of Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales. Marquez was shuffled back to fifth once the dust had settled.
LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow improved to sixth after a late charge, while Karel Abraham made it two Aspar Ducatis inside the top 10 in seventh ahead of fellow GP15 runner Hector Barbera on the Avintia Desmosedici.
Dani Pedrosa improved to ninth having spent much of the final 10 minutes in his box with a clutch issue. The Honda rider, who did not fit a fresh slick for his final run, edged ahead of compatriot Jorge Lorenzo on the second of the factory GP17s.
Danilo Petrucci was knocked out of the top 10 at the death along with Phillip Island podium finisher Valentino Rossi and Andrea Iannone. Early pacesetter Miller ended the session 14th.
Jonas Folger’s Tech3 replacement Michael van der Mark ended his first MotoGP practice session 19th and 2.8s off of the pace as he adjusted to the YZR-M1.
Comments.
Loading comments…