Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi led the pack in Friday’s two free practice sessions ahead of today’s Andalucia MotoGP in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
Vinales, who finished second in last weekend’s delayed opening race of the season at the same circuit, posted a time of 1 minute, 37.063 seconds to beat Italian teammate Rossi, who finished 0.142 seconds back in second.
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo had a disappointing day on his Yamaha-SRT, finishing 14th.
Photo: AFP
“I feel comfortable with the bike. I think we made an improvement compared to last week,” said Vinales, after shrugging off temperatures pushing 35°C. “I think this is a good test for us. We never raced at the same track twice in a row. The most important thing is to understand how we do better on race day.”
Reigning world champion Marc Marquez did not take part in Friday’s sessions, although he has been declared fit to race, despite a broken arm.
On Tuesday, Marquez had surgery on his arm after crashing heavily in the Spanish Grand Prix opener on Sunday last week.
He was to attempt to set a competitive time in yesterday’s practice.
Compatriot Alex Rins (Suzuki) and Cal Crutchlow (Honda-LCR) took part in practice, despite also suffering injuries in the opener.
Rins, who had dislocated his shoulder, was 21st fastest, just behind Crutchlow who had fractured his wrist.
Crutchlow had also required surgery, conducted on Tuesday at the same hospital in Barcelona where Marquez was treated.
Rossi, a seven-time world champion in the elite class, did not finish last weekend’s race due to a technical issue.
Not surprisingly, he was not getting too carried away by Friday’s run.
“As always, Saturday morning will be crucial. It will be very important to find the right spot to make the right lap time to stay in the top 10,” said the Italian veteran who is in his final season as a Yamaha factory rider. “We’ll have to try. I feel better with the bike compared to last week. We have to work because in some corners I’m not fantastic. But anyway, it was a positive day.”
Two more free practice sessions and qualifying were scheduled for yesterday, while the race is to be held today.
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