Phillip Island race winner Miguel Oliveira ends Friday’s Moto2 running for the Malaysian Grand Prix fastest of all, setting the best pace in the dry morning outing.
Oliveira led home Red Bull KTM Ajo team-mate Brad Binder in Australia for the Austrian marque’s first win of its maiden intermediate class campaign, and carried that form into Friday morning at Sepang.
The Portuguese rider set the pace with a 2m06.856s, narrowly pipping championship leader Franco Morbidelli and his title rival – whom he leads by 29 points – Tom Luthi.
Takaaki Nakagami guided his Honda Asia Kalex to fourth ahead of Mattia Pasini, who crashed, and Isaac Vinales, while Alex Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Sandor Cortese and Lorenzo Baldassaari completed the top 10.
With rain arriving for the afternoon running, Oliveira heads into Saturday as the rider to beat, but was keen to take a clean sweep on free practice Friday – the KTM rider going top with a 2m24.659s in the closing stages of the session.
Luthi, who sat atop the timesheets for much of the second session, struck back immediately with a 2m24.659s, though was once again deposed by Oliveira with a 2m24.139s.
Neither Oliveira nor Luthi were able to make any further inroads into their best laps, while Alex Marquez managed to take his Marc VDS Kalex to top spot with a 2m24.074s ahead of a late-charge from Lorenzo Baldassarri.
Tech3’s Xavi Vierge slotted into fifth ahead of Franco Morbidelli, with Luca Marini, the Dynavolt Intact duo of Sandro Cortese and Marcel Schrotter, and Pasini completed the top 10.
Dimas Ekky Pratama, who is replacing the injured Jorge Navarro, was last on the combined times, but impressed in the wet conditions in the afternoon in 16th despite a late tumble at Turn 1.
The Kiefer Racing team has withdrawn Dominique Aegerter and Tarran Mackenzie from the event following the sudden tragic death of team boss Stefan Kiefer in Malaysia on Thursday.
