2012 Mugello MotoGP FP2 Result: Lorenzo Tops Incident-Filled Session

By David Emmett | Fri, 13/07/2012 - 13:23

Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest man in an incident-filled afternoon session of practice for the MotoGP class at Mugello. The Factory Yamaha rider dominated from the start, posting a lap very close to the outright lap record early in the session. As FP2 went on, the other riders closed the gap, with both Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden getting within a tenth of a second by the time the checkered flag was waved.

Hector Barbera ended FP2 in 4th, the Spaniard posting the highest top speed of the weekend so far, and finishing ahead of Andrea Dovizioso, the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha man still less than a quarter of a second behind Lorenzo. Casey Stoner posted the 6th fastest time, but the Repsol Honda man had a troubled session, finding it hard to get up to speed, and then running into traffic at the end, prompting Stoner to barge Danilo Petrucci aside rather harshly, after the IODA CRT rider had a moment at Casanova and slowed Stoner's progress. Ben Spies ended the sessioin in 7th, ahead of Cal Crutchlow, while Valentino Rossi finished in 9th, just ahead of Stefan Bradl.

The session saw a number of crashes, especially with riders going straight on at the end of the straight and running into the gravel at San Donato. Jorge Lorenzo was one rider to do so, having a very low speed tumble as he struggled to turn the bike in the deep gravel. Hector Barbera had a bigger moment, crashing at Scarperia, his bike tumbling and landing on the track. The crash kicked up so much dirt onto the track that the session had to be red-flagged to allow it to be cleaned. The break was only very brief, however, the riders back on track after an interruption of just a few minutes.

Results:

Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff Diff Previous
1 99 Jorge LORENZO YAMAHA 1'48.076    
2 26 Dani PEDROSA HONDA 1'48.107 0.031 0.031
3 69 Nicky HAYDEN DUCATI 1'48.157 0.081 0.050
4 8 Hector BARBERA DUCATI 1'48.254 0.178 0.097
5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO YAMAHA 1'48.308 0.232 0.054
6 1 Casey STONER HONDA 1'48.527 0.451 0.219
7 11 Ben SPIES YAMAHA 1'48.540 0.464 0.013
8 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW YAMAHA 1'48.650 0.574 0.110
9 46 Valentino ROSSI DUCATI 1'49.017 0.941 0.367
10 6 Stefan BRADL HONDA 1'49.022 0.946 0.005
11 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA HONDA 1'49.208 1.132 0.186
12 41 Aleix ESPARGARO ART 1'50.015 1.939 0.807
13 14 Randy DE PUNIET ART 1'50.269 2.193 0.254
14 51 Michele PIRRO FTR 1'51.130 3.054 0.861
15 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ BQR 1'51.322 3.246 0.192
16 54 Mattia PASINI ART 1'51.384 3.308 0.062
17 5 Colin EDWARDS SUTER 1'51.857 3.781 0.473
18 77 James ELLISON ART 1'51.966 3.890 0.109
19 9 Danilo PETRUCCI IODA 1'52.109 4.033 0.143
20 22 Ivan SILVA BQR 1'52.558 4.482 0.449

 

2012
9
MotoGP
Mugello, Italy
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Comments

Man, I can't wait to read tonight's Round-Up. Nicky in the top 3-4? So awesome! Tell me again why Ducati is even considering letting him go.
The only reason I'd want to see Cal on the Ducati is to say, "HA! I told you so! See you in two years. On a CRT."
If the tires get straightened out (i.e. can last a whole race) Nicky can be regularly in the top five, and get multiple podiums yet this year, IMO.

wosideg (not verified)
11 years 2 months ago
Permalink

because in nearly 10 years on top level factory machinery with Mugello marking his 160th start, he has just 3 wins..and they ain't on a Ducati.

I like Hayden, but it's clear Americans have the right colour passport.

wosideg (not verified)
11 years 2 months ago
Permalink

what's the fkin point?

The point is to avoid pointless arguments and trolling. Anything you post on Stoner has about a 99% chance of being deleted. Anything that Nostro posts on Rossi has about a 99% chance of being deleted. It's called balance.

I wish you would delete the post with profanity as well. I feel it's unneccessary in public discourse as well as in any argument. And it's usually the losers and/or the losing side of the argument that makes them.

Nicky got a tow from VR when setting the 3rd fastest time! They were going around the track virtually stuck together for 2 or 3 laps 5 minutes before the end of the session. That's when Nicky set his fastest time!

Not accusing him of a Barbera style cheeky tactic but still criticism of VR isn't fair if Nicky benefited from his wake!

When Nicky did that lap Rossi was still in the 49s so cannot see how you can get a tow by catching someone at that rate. It was more like a target for Nicky - to make a point about his position in the team.

Once he caught him his times went back. Rossi's fastest was with Nicky in front on that last lap - as his target!

I hope that Audi find the money to run a 3rd Ducati - cannot be called a factory bike because of the stupid 2 factory 2 satellite rule but there are ways around that sort of rule.

They need all the help they can get - Rossi, Cal AND Nicky.

P.S. Notice how few front end crashes of the Ducs now they have got rid of the carbon fiber? They still obviously have issues (though Nicky's time shows they can do it when inspired) but at least they have better "feeling" from the front.

I would recommend that folks actually look at the Lap Analysis the MotoGP site posts. You would be surprised to see how much insight the lap by lap time/sector sheet provides.

You would see that NH only had one (1) lap in the 48's; the one that put him 3rd. And to boot, that lap was one (1) FULL second faster than his previous best lap.

If you look at Lorezo's analysis....(as David's other article alludes to) you'll just cringe

Petrucci has tweeted apologising to Stoner, saying he was pushing hard and cant see whyats going on behind him. he also mentioned that his bike cant hit 300kph on the straights. Thats 50kph (30 in old money) of a deficit on the straights.

I didnt see the Stoner-barging incident, but I'm pretty sure I can picture how it went.

Stoner needs to calm down. Its one thing getting annoyed at a rider who's dawdling on the racing line play playing with electronics or looking for a tow, and he's entitled to hold the opinion that CRT bikes shouldnt be on the grid, or are dangerously slow or whatever, but he shouldnt go barging other competitors out of the way, especially when he can so easily pass them on even the shortest straights.

Is it too much to ask of the great Stoner that he slow down for a quarter of a lap to find a safe and respectful place to pass another rider making an honest attempt on a dreadful bike? This is only FP2 after all, its not like its the race or even qualifying ...

Race Direction/FIM have been quite clear that anything goes out on track by their failure to penalise or maintain a penalty on clearly dangerous riders for doing clearly dangerous moves. We also now have blue flags in practice sessions because of the huge speed differences between the real bikes and the toys that are supposedly the saviour of MotoGP. If blue flags were waved and the rider didn't react then it is not the following riders fault. There was also just over 1 minute left in the session and Stoner is competing for the championship for a team that is spending mega millions to win the championship. The other rider is trying not to be last for a team that is spending maybe a couple of million. Later in the lap other CRT's did the right thing and got out of the way.

First Sofuoglu, now Stoner. This sport isn't ballet but it's also not Road Rash. Deliberately bumping another rider because you're angry with them is absolutely not on and should be stomped on.

So make him start from the back of the grid so we get a spectacle as well!

There comes a time when you start to wish he'd stop right now instead of at the end of the season for his own safety as well as for other people's. I'm not quite there yet, but damn close.

Caught in on eurosport player this afternoon. Toby and Julian said naughty and then it cut to the HRC garage where one of the Japanese top brass looked like he was not too impressed with Stoner's move either.

Shuhei Nakamoto sure looked unimpressed...but was it by Stoner's doing or the fact that Stoner's fast lap was "destroyed" by a CRT and with it, gone also the data that HRC was hoping to analyse for a possible chance of an improvement for the next day?

I like this kid. His sensibility when being forced to have eyes in the back of his head on race day with a massively slow bike speak volumes for him.
Casey could have cut him some slack with the bargey bit.
Should Casey get a penalty ? I don't know. I never did see him barge anyone off the circuit in a race,unlike some others.
What the hell ? Knock him to the back of the grid for fun.
Watching him scythe through the field like Bautista last week will provide entertainment because right now George looks to be gone.
Brilliant performance by him.
Like a previous commenter mentioned. I look forward to the round up.

I'm a NH69 fan as well! He would say that practice and qualifying is only that... I will cheer loud too if he gets on the podium Sunday! The final race-results are what matters most. He needs to qualify well and finish the race with the lead group! Then let's see what Audi says about his contract!

Casey will be missed for his wide open throttle hand, but not these petulant displays. Man I will miss his riding, but I wont miss his long, rambling, post race reports and constant moans and demands for perfect everything. Jlo is marginally better in this area, but he is just as quick to moan on about things. What a yawn they both are to listen to.

I miss Rossi being a regular not just for his riding but also he would never blame anyone for anything, as he knows racing is hard and stuff happens. Seems to me the top younger guys like Stoner and Lorenzo never mastered the art of being cool about it.

Come on Vale, Dovi, Dani, Nicky, Ben, Cal, anyone please, my ears can't take much more of Stoner and Lorenzo.

Oh crikey, it's a scary thing to stick yer head over the parapet here but yes, I utterly agree about the pair of them. Both brilliant riders but they moan to a premium level if everything isn't exactly to their liking. I try not to listen to it anymore, and just enjoy the riding. There isn't a track on the calendar that Stoner doesn't critisise for this problem or that.

And (I hate to say this) Stoner is the worst, he was saying his crew deliberately gave him a duff bike a few meetings ago (I heard it with my own ears, forget which race) because 'they know I'll ride it fast anyway'; what planet is he on? That must make you feel great if you're a mechanic struggling to get the bike to work how he wants it eh? He's basically saying you're lazy or incompetent.

There is a fair discussion about the validity of the CRTs, but no CRTs and we have a 12 bike grid.

I think make him start from the back, I agree it will make for a great race, I'm sure CS wouldn't mind ;-)

I never give a da*n what riders say about things - particularly Stoner and Lorenzo, for we already know what it'll be about :) I really like the guy-Stoner that is-so I need to shield myself from his constant grievances, especially now on his last season he seems to get more ballistic as the season went on.
Instead, I watch the race how they ride the bikes, which is truly remarkable.
It's not my place to judge a rider based on what he says/does, none of my business & I don't walk on their shoe. I rate them based on how they perform on a bike and how they push to the limit. You can always choose, listening to endless whining or watch and enjoy the show.

Choose wisely, I say.

There are only what, 4 current riders with more wins than Nicky? There are I believe only 7 current riders who have won at all. 4 aliens, Dovi, Spies and Nicky. And he has as many wins on the Duc as Rossi does, and more dry podiums to boot. Nicky has proven he's one of the best 2nd tier riders in GP. Hopefully he can retain a ride. I'd rather have a guy on my team that tries to go fast until the bike lets him down than a guy that simply stays about where he expects the bike to be, then stays there.

Gotto separate MotoGP's QP (CRT + the ones that really Rule), at this moment CRT riders must be fearing "THE AUSSIE FIST"... eh eh, sorry guys... it's the emo of the moment.

Guys

Look at the times between each portion of the track, Vale was going 0.941 slower than Nicky so its not likely he gained all that time following Vale. Nicky had already gained this time before hitting T3 so he did the work alone.

Sorry Nicky fans, the time he set was on the soft compound and will not be used for the race. Same thing round after round, year after year, you have to find out what compound they set their time on. A time sheet does not tell you everything.

Another Stoner incident. Remember when he punched Randy DePuniet in practice last year? Moans, incidents, moans some more then another incident. Embarassing

When I saw it first, I thought it was deliberate, but in the replay it looked more like Petrucci was moving into Stoner's path from the outside of the turn. Given that the report above says Petrucci apologised, I expect it was the latter. Nothing close to Sofouglu's incident the other weekend.

I've read since posting that Nicky used the soft tire for his fastest laps. Still a god time, but on the hard tire only he would have been in ninth or so -- which sucks.

I think he's capable of top-five when the bike gets sorted, and there have been moments when it has seemed remarkably close, but then the tire goes off and he drops places quickly.

I hope that Bridgstone getting the tires sorted will help him maintain the speeds he's shown in the early stages of a few races this season for a full race distance.

... backhand the hapless Danilo Petrucci ? Saw Mighty Mick do that to a Japanese rider in final practice for the 1992 Suzuka 8-Hour. The chap had been holding Mick up for several corners and when Mick blew around the outside of him in a left-hander, he gave him a clout around the helmet. Pure class! Perhaps Stoner should copy this technique and get rid of some of the imposters poncing around in MotoGP. Clearly, in MotoGP, you do not need a Super Licence to prove your credentials, just a bag of coke, or the equivalent.