After a dismal weekend at Qatar three weeks ago, Valentino Rossi got Jerez off to a good start by seizing control of the second session of free practice and leading for much of it. The Italian held a clear lead until the final minutes of practice, when he was deposed by Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, who dived under Rossi's time by nearly two thirds of a second. The factory Ducati man took 2nd, ahead of Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, and Pedrosa's Repsol teammate Casey Stoner.
Nicky Hayden also put the factory Ducati closer to the sharp end, taking 5th spot just over a tenth behind reigning champion Casey Stoner, while Andrea Dovizioso was the fastest of the satellite bikes, grabbing 6th on his Monster Tech 3 Yamaha, just ahead of San Carlo Gresini's Alvaro Bautista and Dovi's teammate Cal Crutchlow. Ben Spies continues to struggle, managing just the 9th fastest time, his best lap equaled by MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl.
Randy de Puniet was 10th and the best of the CRT bikes, as expected, both De Puniet and Mattia Pasini beating the satellite Ducatis of Karel Abraham and Hector Barbera into 13th and 14th.
The weather was once again a serious factor: the session started very wet, gradually drying out a little as the session progressed and the rain ceased, but the track was never fully dry. It was better than this morning, though, when the circuit was neither one thing nor the other, making for very treacherous conditions. More rain - and some dry periods - are expected for Saturday.
Results:
Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Diff | Diff Previous |
1 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | HONDA | 1'50.780 | ||
2 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | DUCATI | 1'51.440 | 0.660 | 0.660 |
3 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | YAMAHA | 1'51.873 | 1.093 | 0.433 |
4 | 1 | Casey STONER | HONDA | 1'52.106 | 1.326 | 0.233 |
5 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | DUCATI | 1'52.254 | 1.474 | 0.148 |
6 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | YAMAHA | 1'53.070 | 2.290 | 0.816 |
7 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | HONDA | 1'53.166 | 2.386 | 0.096 |
8 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | YAMAHA | 1'53.352 | 2.572 | 0.186 |
9 | 11 | Ben SPIES | YAMAHA | 1'53.409 | 2.629 | 0.057 |
10 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | HONDA | 1'53.409 | 2.629 | 0.000 |
11 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | ART | 1'54.155 | 3.375 | 0.746 |
12 | 54 | Mattia PASINI | ART | 1'54.370 | 3.590 | 0.215 |
13 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | DUCATI | 1'54.378 | 3.598 | 0.008 |
14 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | DUCATI | 1'54.581 | 3.801 | 0.203 |
15 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | SUTER | 1'54.707 | 3.927 | 0.126 |
16 | 22 | Ivan SILVA | BQR | 1'54.748 | 3.968 | 0.041 |
17 | 68 | Yonny HERNANDEZ | BQR | 1'54.915 | 4.135 | 0.167 |
18 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | IODA | 1'55.752 | 4.972 | 0.837 |
19 | 51 | Michele PIRRO | FTR | 1'56.067 | 5.287 | 0.315 |
20 | 77 | James ELLISON | ART | 1'57.475 | 6.695 | 1.408 |
21 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | ART | 1'57.789 | 7.009 | 0.314 |
Comments
Great leveler..the rain.
Great leveler..the rain.
In reply to Great leveler..the rain. by wosideg (not verified)
The wet a great leveller - largely a myth
Cream still rises come race day, wet or fine.
In reply to The wet a great leveller - largely a myth by Nostrodamus
Only largely?
I'd have thought that would be 'categorically' from you considering the timesheet?
Nevertheless, wet races always seem to throw up surprises and entertainment. Roll on the rain clouds for Sunday I say.
In reply to Only largely? by wosideg (not verified)
How much do you want to read into a greasy track Friday Wosi?
Personally I'm reading very little, regardless of which rider placed where (and that's my skipper at the helm). But I can understand if you see this as the second coming.
In reply to How much do you want to read into a greasy track Friday Wosi? by Nostrodamus
Thinking back..
to last year Nostro, I'd be reluctant to put any of my easily earned on the race result given the forecast.
Good to see Captain, or is that Matelot, Pedrosa at the front as I've just put him on my FRR team. I've a feeling in my water about him this year.
With regard to Rossi..We've not seen much of what he can do since leaving Yamaha but, as many have said including his competitors, you'd be a fool to write him off.
In reply to Thinking back.. by wosideg (not verified)
The Captain!
Ha-ha!
I shall now ever regard Pedrosa as the Captain Pugwash of Moto GP. I do hope he does his revision properly next time; awfully undignified having our Moto GP favourites caught cheating in their exams...
It's early, but still interesting
Sunday is still far away, but some interesting numbers there:
-if Silva was using the new carbon frame, then it is almost unbelievable they got it working that fast
-Satellite ducs have some work to do
-Is Bradl making life uncomfortable for Bautista?
-A wet race every now and then shakes it up in an interesting way
-Spies shouldn't be last Yamaha, it's kind of worrying
VR46 in P2?
Not a fan of wet races although they're very entertaining to watch for final podium positions. Wish this Wet-Practice was Sunday's Race results for Rossi and Ducati.
In reply to VR46 in P2? by ghostrider11
How would a second place on a
How would a second place on a wet Sunday possibly help Rossi or Ducati?? Ok morale for one, but, I think they need really the opposite. Dry race and keep working on improving the bike.
2nd place or a victory this Sunday does them zero good, accept for an euphoric trending on Twitter. Next race is dry and back to 20s off the pace ....
In reply to How would a second place on a by mxs
its a great confidence booster
I'd take a win however it comes and be happy about. No need to delude yourself into thinking the bike is great but it is nice to confirm that the rider still works properly. A happy rider is worth a few tenths a lap and maybe a little confidence will help to assist in breaking though the Duc's sound barrier.
But yes, they do need dry time.
Chris
http://moto2-usa.blogspot.com/
In reply to VR46 in P2? by ghostrider11
I think you're right, but
I think you're right, but then again a rider can only deal with what's dealt on the day. Nobody would turn their nose up at a good wet time.
But is this the 2nd coming?? Nah, probably not..
Hard wets??
How hard are these "hard" compound wet tyres (as compared to the slicks) they are using this weekend?
The commentators were saying both VR's and NH's rears were virtually slicks, and that was before they went out on their last stints. Meaning they lasted only between 10 and 12 laps.
Are BS ever going to make an intermediate tyre?
Its ridiculous to think that there is not a tyre available to last over half distance during patchy conditions.
In reply to Hard wets?? by L34
I guess it depends how wet it
I guess it depends how wet it was for the duration of the 10-12 lap stint. There's a wet and there's a different wet ....
It'll be interesting which
It'll be interesting which bike-rider combos can restart once downed during the race... those handful of points scavenged could be critical at the end of the season.
Oh, and are these corner workers under new instruction?
Pandora's box or Pedrosa's ?
I like it. I hope the weather stays ever so iffy and tricky all weekend. Season proper has started and the usual suspects are up there somewhere. FP2 has given Rossi a much needed confidence boost and as ever Preziosi has come to the party with a great bike.
Pedrosa ? Well,the only thing he's worried about is being gifted to himself, Stoner and HRC another 4kg mass penalty.
2012 is looking much better than 2011 for Ducati.
Ben Spies ? No matter Pandora's box. I expected a whole lot better.
As ever,Stefan Bradl continues to impress.
Wet Weather
I am hoping it rains Sunday. Do not what the forecast is, but if it mixes up the normal procession I am all for it. Too early to predict who is going to be what Sunday, but things look different. RDP seemed to be doing quite well on that "ART"? Rossi in second must boost his fans, but he and Lorenzo both look very unhappy when interviewed. Issues with grip JL reported. While Rossi says he is happy, but his face looked STRESSED. Dani Pedrosa sounded more content and positive than any one else I saw interviewed. He kept it positive.
Stoner has got to be the most straight talking out of all of them. Basically saying that Jerez is unique, there is no other track like it all year. What happens there will not reflect the end of the year. Which to me sounded like he does not like the track. Then added, but that does not mean he does not want to win here. Love it. Even when a track is disappointing to him, he still wants to win. That is a true champion.
Spies......I AM a fan of Spies. Throw your jabs at me if you want, do not care, still will be a fan of Spies. Just lately it seems as if he just is not there. It is only Friday, and I know he usually builds steam as the weekend goes. But I am worried if he continues to lack pace he will not only be out of Yamaha's factory squad, but put on the disappointment list by the paddock. I know he has the speed, but it seems like there is something going on that is not being seen from my couch.
didn't we.....
Have enough wet races last year?
Sheesh.... I am very happy to see Rossi higher up on the timing sheets.. but man, I am tried of wet races.. not as much fun (for me at least) to watch
Let's Debunk the Myth.
To call the rain a leveller in road racing is a misnomer and just plain wrong.
What it does moreso is drastically boost the confidence of RiderX struggling to be anywhere near the front in normal conditions whether it be machine, skill or both, while providing those normally at the front (RiderY) with the trepedation of already knowing they're pushing to the limit with just another very real obstacle to overcome. This in turn has the opposite effect on RiderX than it has on RiderY, closing the apparent gap. Of course setup can be crucial, but we are talking about elite riders and teams here so this difference can be considered negligible.
Rain DOESN'T change skill, just confidence! Refer Jerez and Silverstone last year to see what that confidence can achieve when applied correctly.