Editorial Note: The current race lap record is 1:47.639 set by Marc Marquez in 2013.

Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Autodromo del Mugello, Italy

June 1, 2018

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:46.735

2. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:47.122

3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:47.218

4. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:47.365

5. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:47.403

6. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:47.433

7. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:47.445

8. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 1:47.497

9. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:47.569

10. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 1:47.691

11. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:47.901

12. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:47.902

13. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:47.924

14. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:47.946

15. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:47.996

16. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:48.113

17. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:48.221

18. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:48.269

19. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:48.458

20. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:48.524

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:48.926

22. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:49.044

23. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:49.082

24. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), 1:49.111, crash

25. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:49.757

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Impressive opening day for Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo in the Tuscan hills

French star Johann Zarco delivered a surprising performance today at the Italian Grand Prix, following a slightly cautious start this morning, he did incredibly well during the last minutes of FP2 to clinch the fourth spot in the combined timings. Thereby, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider concluded the first day of practice as the best independent team rider of the MotoGP World Championship field.

On the other side of the Tech3 garage, for the first time ever Hafizh Syahrin discovered the Mugello circuit on a big bike and displayed a fantastic effort in lowering his lap time by 1.704 seconds from FP1 to FP2 in order to secure a position inside the top 15. At the end of the day, the Malaysian rookie found himself just 0.581 seconds behind his fast teammate.

Johann Zarco

Position: 4th – Time: 1’47.365 – Laps: 41

“The first day in Mugello was very interesting and I’m happy that I was able to improve my lap time in the last session. We’re working well with the team, although it’s a totally different track from all the others this year. With my experience I could understand which kind of riding style is fitting to this track, so we also have to set up the bike respectively to ride well and step by step we could do that. We want to keep working, finding the best possible pace with the used tyre and then push with the new tyre to have a great qualifying.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 15th – Time: 1’47.946 – Laps: 37

“I felt really good on the last run of FP2, because we made a huge step. We improved by nearly two seconds in comparison to this morning. In the first session, I was too nervous and quite far from the other rookies, but this afternoon we managed to do a very good practice. With the team I tried to understand everything and I tried to change my riding in order to improve in every corner. We were changing some small things with the two bikes and I was a lot better. We’ll see, if we can keep this momentum for tomorrow, but I hope to do my best ever qualifying and stay close to Morbidelli.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

OPENING PRACTICE FOR THE GP OF ITALY AT MUGELLO

The first two MotoGP practice sessions got underway for the fans on the spectacular Tuscan circuit of Mugello. The results are rather compact combined standings, where both Aleix and Scott improved their times between the morning and the afternoon. Espargaró, who had a crash toward the end of FP2, turned his best lap at 1’48.113, just 1.3 seconds behind the leader and 4 tenths of a second outside a provisional top-10 spot.

Struggling with tyre choice and speed on turns, Scott Redding turned his best lap at 1’48.458.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“The performance of our engine has certainly improved compared to the past and this morning I was rather pleased. We were not far behind the leaders. However, with the temperature change in the afternoon, we lacked power and I struggled a lot in acceleration. I tried to compensate by risking more in braking, so much that I crashed, but we need to improve for the sessions tomorrow.”

SCOTT REDDING

“I struggled today, especially choosing the right tyre combination. In the afternoon, we were able to take a small step forward. I had more confidence, but there is still a bit of difficulty in terms of corner speed. We’ll need to work on this aspect in particular for tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:

ACTION GETS UNDERWAY AT MUGELLO FOR ÁNGEL NIETO TEAM

Álvaro Bautista starts Italian Grand Prix weekend twenty-first and Karel Abraham places twenty-second.

A sunny Mugello greeted the MotoGP riders for the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix -a day in which two problems altered the usual schedule for the day. The second practice session for the premier class was twice interrupted, firstly due to a crash by Michelle Pirro at the end of the start/finish straight, on the first corner. The second stoppage was caused by mechanical issues for Andrea Dovizioso. Another home rider, Andrea Iannone was fastest, with a time of 1:46.735, and the only man capable of going round in under 1:47. Behind him, Maverick Viñales and Marc Márquez closed were almost half a second off the Italian.

The Ángel Nieto Team started the Italian Grand Prix with a twenty-first position for Álvaro Bautista and twenty-second for Karel Abraham. The Spaniard bemoaned a lack of front grip for his Ducati, which prevented him from turning the bike in and being able to find the limit. The positive aspect was that both he and his crew worked to solve the problem and get back to the good feeling he had at Jerez and Le Mans. Teammate Karel Abraham highlighted that he still has room for improvement on his hot laps, to since the red flags altered his plans in the second session -when he considers that he could have lowered his time by several tenths.

21st Álvaro Bautista 1:48.524 (37 laps): “I didn’t feel very comfortable with the bike today. I need to be able to turn the front in a little better. We need more front grip when changing direction, because in addition the rear isn’t fantastic. At Jerez and in France I had more front stability and could make the bike turn in better. The good thing is that we have identified the problem and now it’s time to work on the solutions.”

22nd Karel Abraham 1:48.573 (28 laps): “I don’t think it was a bad day, even though I woke up with a sore throat today and I’m on antibiotics. I’m not one hundred per cent fit but on the track it doesn’t bother me much. We are improving lap after lap, but in the second session there were two red flags and it hindered our plans: On the first one I was on course to set a time of around 1:47, whereas on the last red flag I was in a group of several riders and on every lap someone got in my way by braking in front of me, which prevented me from improving my times. In France we were on the limit, whilst here I know we still have a margin for improvement, so we hope to improve tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Positive start to the Italian GP for Marquez, Pedrosa looks to improve

It was a busy first day for Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa under fair weather conditions in Mugello, with the Repsol Honda pair working hard to adapt their RC213V race setups to the characteristics of the fast, challenging Italian track.

At the end of the day, Marc was pleased with posting the third-best lap time despite not yet being perfectly comfortable with the front tyre, while Dani struggled to find good grip in both sessions and had to settle for 14th in the combined rankings.

Both riders aim to make the best of the two remaining free practice sessions in order to improve their setups and speed in view of tomorrow afternoon’s qualifying session.

Marc Marquez 93

3RD 1’47.218

“Mugello is a track where we usually struggle, but we’re right there in third place. Our pace isn’t bad either, so we look at these positives and will see tomorrow if we’re able to improve further. Honestly, we were expecting to struggle a bit with the front tyre if temperatures were higher compared to the test, as was the case today, because the hardest compound is still a bit too soft for us. That said, I think we still have some margin for improvement. Besides, generally speaking, we’ve worked well and have improved our lap time quite a bit from the morning; tomorrow we’ll try and continue on this positive path. Finally, I’d like to add that I hope Michele [Pirro] gets well and comes back soon.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

14TH 1’47.924

“It was a tough day because I wasn’t able to find a good feeling with rear, as I struggled a lot with lack of grip. We tried several tyres and also a few different suspension settings, but we couldn’t manage to improve grip. We have to understand if it’s something we must improve in the bike’s setup or if the situation is more related to the track conditions, but whatever the case, tomorrow it will be important to keep our concentration high, work well, and try and solve this matter in view of qualifying and the race.” 

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

A FAST START FOR ANDREA IANNONE AT HIS HOME GP

Andrea Iannone: 1st – 1:46.735

Alex Rins: 16th – 1:47.996 (+ 1.261)

• Iannone showing strong pace in both sessions.

•Alex Rins using Day 1 to focus on settings and new chassis.

•Mugello’s fast track promises an enthralling weekend.

The first day of action in the beautiful Tuscan hills around Mugello proved to be a positive start for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR.

Although clouds greeted the riders in the morning’s FP1 session, and the track appeared less grippy than it was during the recent test, the pace was nevertheless quite high. Both riders started the session on the soft-medium tyre combination and placed themselves inside the Top 10 early on. As the session came to a close, Andrea Iannone shot to the top of the timesheet with a strong 1:47.253. Alex Rins meanwhile was 12th with a 1:48.274.

For FP2 the track and air temperatures rose, upping the pace for all the riders. Alex Rins used the early part of the session to test a new chassis. Andrea Iannone began the session on the medium-soft combination and was able to set quick laps immediately, despite a small run off. Unfortunately, the session had to be red-flagged twice but both Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders were still able to find useful improvements in the afternoon. Alex Rins, whilst only 15th, improved his laptime to a 1:47.99. The home rider, Andrea Iannone, made an excellent final push with the medium-soft combo at the end of FP2, and became the only rider in the 1:46 bracket with a 1:46.735, putting him very close to the circuit record. The Italian was also fastest in sectors 2, 3, and 4 for both sessions.

Tomorrow’s FP3 will be important for Alex Rins as he aims to join his team-mate in the provisional Q2.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“It’s been a very good day for Andrea, he’s in great shape and he’s been quick in both sessions with lots of fast laps, and of course he is very comfortable here. There are still some improvements we can make on the bike, but he’s riding very well so let’s hope to continue like this tomorrow. Alex concentrated more on testing different things like the new chassis, which he liked, but he found negative and positive points with it. But it was important for us to test it. Alex will try to put everything together for FP3. In general it’s been a positive day. Andrea has the new chassis available and he’ll probably try it tomorrow.”

Andrea Iannone

“I recovered my head here in Mugello, after a couple of difficult years here. Fortunately the feeling with the bike here is really good, and everything is going really well in the garage. Since the start of this year I’ve worked in a different way with my team, and it’s really good. We have a great chance at this track and I’m pumped to have the support of the fans, but of course it’s difficult because all the riders are really close, but I’m ready for the fight and I won’t give up! My feeling is improving race by race.”

Alex Rins

“My feeling today has been quite good, I focused on trying new things. The new chassis was good and I feel comfortable with it, and we’ve improved a bit on stability in corner entry. So we just focused on the rhythm today and not on setting fast laps. It was positive to try new things, but the technicians need to adjust it a bit more, anyway, I think I could use it in the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Dovi sets a new speed record as Iannone stuns Mugello

A record gets broken and an Italian tops the timesheets on home turf in an incident-packed Day 1 at the Italian GP

It was a dramatic Friday at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, with some big headlines, a shake-up on the timesheets and a record broken as Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) became the fastest man in MotoGP™ when he set a new top speed record of 356.4km/h – up from the previous best of 354.9km/h set by compatriot Andrea Iannone in 2016. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Iannone was, however, the quickest man overall on Day 1 at Mugello – 0.387 ahead of Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) less than a tenth further back to make it three different bikes in the top three. Marquez did crash on Friday and suffered a run off, rider ok, but some bigger headlines instead came from two Red Flags in FP2.

The first went out following a high-speed crash for Michele Pirro (Ducati Team) into Turn 1, with the Borgo Panigale factory’s test rider tumbling through the gravel following a highside. After being treated by the track, it was confirmed that Pirro was conscious and the Italian was then transferred to Ospedale Careggi in Florence for further checks.

Action then got back underway, but not for long – with Dovizioso then suffering a mechanical problem into Turn 1 and flames briefly appearing around his Desmosedici. After going third in the morning and setting the fastest top speed, the incident put a dent in the day for the 2017 Italian GP winner and he was P13 on the combined timesheets on Friday – with fellow big name Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) also out of provisional Q2 graduation in P14, 0.022 off the Italian.

Back at the top behind the fastest trio and the headline incidents, it was a solid day for top Independent Team rider Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in fourth overall, with Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) confirming more good speed on the Ducati to complete the top five just 0.038 in arrears. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was also in close company, however, just 0.030 behind the Queenslander to take P6 and show some good pace as he gets back to full power following his highside at Le Mans.

Home favourite Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) closed the gaps up even more as he took seventh only 0.012 back, edging out VR46 Academy and EG 0,0 Marc VDS rookie Franco Morbidelli by less than half a tenth on home turf. Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) made for more home delight in ninth, with the top ten completed by multiple-time Mugello winner Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team).

There’s a lot to play for in FP3 as the top ten scuffle to move through automatically to Q2, with Dovizioso and Pedrosa putting that at the top of their to-do lists once they get back on track. And with the field so close together, it’s sure to be another incredible day of action at the Autodromo del Mugello on Saturday – with FP3 at 9:55 (GMT +2) and qualifying beginning from 14:10.

Mir and Lowes lead the Italians in Mugello

The reigning Moto3™ World Champion set the pace on Friday, with Lowes and Bagnaia just behind

After finishing fourth quickest in FP1, Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) made his mark in the second Free Practice session to end Friday at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley as the fastest man in the Moto2™ class, with rumours about his plans for 2019 equally continuing to make headlines. Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) was second in both of Friday’s sessionsas he gets back in the groove, with his best of a 1:52.236 just 0.112 behind Mir. Third overall was Championship leader and home hero Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46), who was just 0.001 off Lowes’ time after finishing FP1 in P7 – an incredibly small margin of difference given the two men are on two different chassis; the Brit a KTM and the Italian a Kalex.

Last year’s race winner Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) was fourth quickest overall, making a huge improvement from FP1 where he finished P17, with the Italian only 0.028 back from compatriot Bagnaia’s time. Rounding out the top five was Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), the only rider in the top 20 who failed to go quicker in the afternoon session.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40), after finishing fifth after FP1, was P6 overall on Friday, with rookie Remano Fenati impressing as he rides a Moto2™ bike for the first time at Mugello – he was seventh fastest, improving from P10 in FP1.

Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini continued the Italian trend in the afternoon, improving from P12 in the morning session to end FP2 eighth fastest on board his Kalex. Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) was 0.037 behind his fellow Italian in P9, improving his time but not position at the close of play. Fabio Quatararo (MB Covenyors – Speed Up Racing) rounded out the top ten on Friday; the Frenchman jumping up ten places from FP1 to continue the good form he found in Le Mans.

The intermediate class will be back out on track on Saturday for FP3 at 10:55 local time, before qualifying at 15:05.

Martin throws down the gauntlet in Italy

The Spaniard quickest in enemy territory, with compatriot Canet and SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Suzuki his closest challengers on opening day

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was the fastest man in FP1 and followed it up in FP2 by going 0.339 quicker than anyone else at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley to end Friday on top. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia) was second fastest overall on Friday, cementing his position from the morning’s session to remain his title rival’s closest challenger. Rounding out the top three was SIC58 Squadra Corse rider Tatsuki Suzuki, impressively improving from P14 in FP1 for the home team.

With track temperatures almost doubling in the afternoon, the lightweight class times tumbled. Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) was fourth quickest overall on Friday, dropping one position from his FP1 efforts despite going nine tenths quicker, and Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) leaped up the timesheets in the second session of the day, finishing fifth quickest after being down in P18 in the morning.

Home hero Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) was sixth quickest on the opening day at his home Grand Prix, his 1:57.788 was enough to move him up one position from FP1. Teammate Jakub Kornfeil was seventh quickest, the Czech rider cementing his top ten pace after finishing P10 in the first session; his time 1.5 seconds quicker this afternoon. John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) also went over a second quicker than he did in FP1 to end the day eighth quickest, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and Le Mans winner Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) rounding out the top ten – the latter coming from P20 in this morning’s session.

Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was one high-profile crasher who highsided at Turn 7 during the session. The Italian was taken to the Medical Centre for a check-up, but was thankfully declared fit.

The lightweight class will be back out on track on Saturday morning for FP3 at 09:00 local time, before qualifying from 12:35 (GMT +2).

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA GAIN MOMENTUM ON A HECTIC FRIDAY AT MUGELLO

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi showed solid pace today in the first two free practice sessions ahead of Sunday’s Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley. Despite grip issues in the morning and an eventful afternoon session, they booked steady progress and finished in second and seventh place in the combined standings.

Scarperia (Italy), 1st June 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales started the weekend as the second fastest man after day one at the Autodromo del Mugello. Teammate Valentino Rossi was also on the pace as he prepared for Sunday’s Gran Premio d‘Italia Oakley. The pair finished in second and seventh place respectively in the combined FP standings.

Viñales had a less than ideal start to the GP weekend in today’s FP1 session. He suffered a small crash but was uninjured and OK to continue the session. He used his frustration to boost his performance and set his personal fastest time of the morning, a 1‘47.995s, on lap 7/18, for third place. He spent the remainder of the session working on his bike‘s set-up and ended in fourth place, 0.742s from the top.

The Spaniard continued to improve his form in the afternoon. Despite the FP2 session being red flagged twice, he was able to make steps forward and took the top spot with a flying 1‘47.122s lap, three minutes before the chequered flag. Various riders also put in a soft rear tyre at the end of the session, but the Yamaha rider’s time was fast enough to earn him second place, 0.387s from first.

Rossi started the morning off by swiftly moving into third place. However, as a lack of grip in the cooler conditions caught out various MotoGP riders, the Doctor decided to focus mainly on mixing and comparing setting solutions found during the recent Mugello and Montmeló tests. His fastest time, a 1‘48.218s, took him up to eighth place in the FP1 rankings, 0.965s off the front.

Determined to position himself as a key protagonist for this weekend in front of his home fans, the Italian was on the pace right from the start of FP2. With the increased temperatures, he was quick to secure second place. However, midway through the afternoon practice, incidents disrupted proceedings, which had the entire MotoGP field anxious to put in a fast time in the final 22 minutes of the session. Despite running into traffic during a hot lap, Rossi posted a 1‘47.445s, 0.710s from the top, and finished in seventh place both in the FP2 and combined free practice timesheets.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

We‘ve had a hectic day at the Mugello circuit. It started with Maverick losing some time because of a small crash at the beginning of FP1, and in FP2 we had the session stopped twice during red flag situations, halting our progression. Thankfully, due to our earlier tests – one here in Mugello and another one last week in Spain – we had a good basis to start from. Our pace didn‘t change a lot between the morning and the afternoon session and that gives us a realistic view of where we stand at the moment for Sunday‘s race. We tested various settings and tried some tyre specifications. Both riders are comfortable on their bikes, but we still have room for improvement, especially concerning rear grip and some small adjustments to the electronics. It comes down to fine-tuning as the basis is already good. We wish Michele Pirro all the best after today‘s horrific crash, which had us all very worried. We‘re hoping for more good news and a speedy recovery.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

I gained a lot of confidence in Montmeló during last week‘s test and today has been good too. Despite my crash this morning the practice went very well, I‘m really happy. We still have work to do, because we have room for improvement for tomorrow. I‘m happy that I felt good with the bike and with the tyres in the afternoon in the hotter conditions and I hope it will be the same on Sunday during the race. Our race pace isn‘t looking so bad. The team didn‘t change the settings much since the test in Catalunya, the bike is quite similar. I‘m feeling good on it and will continue to try to do my best. Today I couldn‘t do ten laps in a row because we had many red flags. I hope Michele is OK, because the crash was unreal. I wish him the best of luck.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It was a positive Friday, because this morning and also this afternoon I wasn‘t so bad, my pace is quite good. It‘s also true that we have a lot of different bikes and riders that are very fast, but we are also there. We‘re on our way, especially with the pace. We have to work on improving further, because I suffer from too much wheelspin at the exit of the corners, but for the rest I feel good with the bike. I hope that Michele is OK after his crash and wish him all the best for his recovery.

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

Gran Premio d’Italia – Free Practices

#ItalianGP FP. Great start for Alma Pramac Racing: Jack 5th, Petrux ok (9th): “Hang on Michele!”.

“First of all, I want to say a few words to Michele, whom I consider a friend. He is one of the first guys who comes to congratulate me when I do a good job. His accident was frightening and I hope that everything can be resolved as soon as possible”.

The first words of Danilo Petrucci are for Michele Pirro. The FP2 of the #ItalianGP were interrupted due to the frightening accident that involved the Ducati rider. Fortunately Pirro came out conscious and the hope is that he will be able to get back on track as soon as possible.

For Alma Pramac Racing it was a good start to the weekend with a double Top 10 that gives confidence in view of qualifying.

Jack Miller was very strong and remained in the top positions even with the medium used tyres. In the FP2, the Australian confirmed his good morning feeling by finishing in fifth position, two tenths of a second off the front row.

it was a good Friday also for Danilo Petrucci. The feeling with his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2018 is not yet at the top but the indications of the first free practice are positive, starting with the T1 where Petrux was the fastest on track. Danilo finished 9th with a tenth of a second lead over Jorge Lorenzo’s 10th place.

P9 Danilo Petrucci – 1’47.569

“We have to solve some problems. I can’t get the most out of the tyres, which all seem to be too hard. Last year it seemed that Ducati had a bit of an advantage over the others but this year we haven’t found it yet. We have to work on the set up. I’m confident anyway”.

P5 Jack Miller – 1’47.403

“I am pleased with what we have done today even though I have not been able to make the most of the soft tyre. However, I am really happy about the incivise race pace. I hope to continue like this tomorrow because the feelings are very positive”.

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Good feelings for Tito Rabat on the first day at Mugello

MotoGP GP of Italy – Mugello

Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat returned to action on the first day of practice for the Grand Prix of Italy, after his spectacular crash during the tests at Barcelona last week. Rabat worked hard over the last days in order to arrive in Italy in the best possible shape. Even though it became obvious in the first laps that he is not at a 100 per cent physically, he found to his rhythm and improved his feelings with the Ducati Desmosedici step by step. From the first to the second free practice session, the Spaniard managed to improve his lap time by roughly a second. He now hopes to make another step forward on Saturday.

Teammate Xavi Simeon had a difficult day on the fast and sweeping Mugello circuit. The MotoGP rookie is not comfortable on his bike yet, which slows his progress. Despite his best efforts to change his riding style for the premier class, the habits from the Moto2 category are still present. The Belgian rider knows where he needs to improve and his technical crew, together with riding coach Rubén Xaus, are working hand in hand so Xavi can move up to where he deserves to be.

Tito Rabat | 1’48.221 | P17

“This morning, I hoped my arm would be better, but I realised immediately that i lacked strength. But as I continued to ride, my body adapted to riding the bike step by step and we made progress. After my crash at the Barcelona test, it was very important for me to get back on the bike as soon as possible and every time I go out on the track, I feel a little better. In the afternoon, we made a good step in the right direction and things went quite well. It was a shame that I ran into traffic towards the end and we slowed each other down, because I could have finished a bit higher up.”

Xavier Simeon | 1’49.757 | P25

“I am struggling to make the steps I want to make and we continue to be far away from the top. I keep a lot of lean angle in the corners whereas you should pick these bikes up very early on the corner exit in order to make the best possible use of all the horsepower they have. So far, I can’t use this power to my advantage, but I need to figure out how, if I want to make real progress. In my sixth Grand Prix I should be closer. That’s why I am not very happy with the way the first day at Mugello went.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Jorge Lorenzo tenth and Andrea Dovizioso thirteenth on day 1 of Italian GP practice at Mugello. Big crash for Michele Pirro during FP2

A difficult Day 1 of free practice action for the Ducati Team in the Italian GP at the Mugello circuit in Tuscany today concluded with its three riders in tenth, eleventh and thirteenth place.

At the end of the two sessions Jorge Lorenzo was tenth with a time of 1’47.691 while team-mate and last year’s winner Andrea Dovizioso, third in the morning’s FP1 session, finished the day three places behind in thirteenth with a lap of 1’47.902.

Ducati Test Team rider and wild-card for this event, Michele Pirro had a horrific crash during FP2. The Italian, second in FP1, lost control of the bike under braking at the end of the straight and crashed badly. Pirro was thrown high off his machine and rolled over a number of times in the gravel trap. Race Direction immediately brought out the red flags and emergency vehicles were rapidly on the scene, transporting Pirro first to the circuit’s Medical Centre, where he was diagnosed with concussion and a dislocated right shoulder, which was put back into place. The rider from San Giovanni Rotondo was then taken to Careggi Hospital in Florence for a full-body scan but no further complications emerged. As always in these cases, Pirro will remain in hospital overnight under observation, at least until tomorrow morning.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 10th (1’47.691)

“It was quite a positive day because from the morning onwards I was able to be fast and maintain a good pace. In the afternoon we continued to work in the same way: when I put on a soft new rear tyre, I expected to get my time down a lot, but it wasn’t possible because it didn’t have any grip. However we’re on the right path and I hope that tomorrow we can confirm these good feelings. I want to send all my best wishes to Michele, who is not only my team-mate here at Mugello but also a friend and I hope he can recover soon after this big scary moment.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 13th (1’47.902)

“For us it was quite a complicated day, starting with this morning. We had good pace but we were unable to see out our scheduled work programme because I had a problem with the bike in FP2 and had to use the other one to finish the session. Unfortunately the rear tyre didn’t have enough grip, and as well as not being able to set a good time, we weren’t able to work the way we wanted to. Michele’s crash was truly horrific and I really hope it was nothing serious.”