Enea Bastianini was best in MotoGP World Championship practice Friday afternoon at Mandalika International Street Circuit, in Indonesia. Fresh off his race win Sunday at Misano II, the Lenovo Team Ducati rider lapped the 2.67-mile course in 1:29.630, which broke Luca Marini’s 2023 All-Time Lap Record of 1:29.978 and led a tight field of 22 riders.
Just 1.368 seconds covered the entire field, and eight riders were under the old lap record.
Second-best in the session was current World Championship point leader Jorge Martin with a 1:29.670 on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati.
Franco Morbidelli, Martin’s teammate and the fastest rider Friday morning, was third-quickest with a 1:29.709.
Francesco Bagnaia, the two-time and defending World Champion and Bastianini’s teammate, was fourth at 1:29.712.
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi made it a Ducati sweep of the top five spots with a 1:29.844.
Other riders finishing in the top 10 Friday afternoon and earning tickets directly to Qualifying Two on Saturday were: Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo (1:29.844), Gresini Racing Ducati’s Marc Marquez (1:29.995), Red Bull GASGAS Tech3’s Pedro Acosta (1:29.961), Bezzecchi’s teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio (1:29.986), and Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Vinales (1:30.000).
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Crest of a wave: Bastianini beats Martin to P1 with top four split by 0.082s
The Beast turns up the wick in Practice to bag a new Mandalika lap record as Bagnaia leaves it late to pocket P4
Friday, 27 September 2024
A new Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit all-time lap record belongs to Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the #23 topped the Practice timesheets on a scorching afternoon in Indonesia. The Emilia-Romagna GP winner surfed his way to a stunning 1:29.630 to lead Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by just 0.040s, as the World Championship leader’s teammate Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) round out a top four split by less than a tenth.
It was a fairly eventful start to proceedings on Friday afternoon as we saw Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) crash at Turn 1 in the opening 10 minutes, before we witnessed a classic Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) save – the #93 dug his right elbow and knee into the asphalt and somehow kept his Ducati GP23 sunny side up at Turn 10. Incredible.
A quieter part of the session – in terms of the outright pace – then took place as riders ran through their respective Practice checklists, and despite the crash, Acosta led to timesheets from Marc Marquez heading into the final 25 minutes of Friday afternoon with a 1:30.411.
Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was the first rider to slot in a fresh soft rear Michelin tyre for a time attack, and the Italian climbed to P2 on his first effort – 0.004s away from Acosta.
With 13 minutes to go, Martin propelled himself to the summit with a 1:30.317 as we strapped in for the Friday afternoon all-in laps. On his next flyer, Martin destroyed the lap record after landing a 1:29.670, with Bagnaia’s first effort 0.888s adrift on his main title rival. The second attack from Pecco was an improved one, but a lap only good enough for P9.
The other Ducati Lenovo Team rider wasn’t suffering the same troubles though. Bastianini was the new session pacesetter with eight minutes left after ‘The Beast’ set a 1:29.630 – 0.040s faster than Martin. Meanwhile, a crucial final four minutes were coming up for Bagnaia as he found himself in P12. That was soon P9 as Bagnaia improved, as Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) crashed at Turn 16 while shadowing the reigning World Champion.
And when it mattered most, Bagnaia delivered. The #1 went P9 to P3 before Morbidelli popped up to P3 to demote his compatriot down to P4, as the session ended without any dramas for the top four in the World Championship chase.
Bezzecchi found a late time to earn P5 on Day 1 in Indonesia, with Fabio Quartararo again impressing on his Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ machine to stick his YZR-M1 in P6 – a phenomenal effort from the Frenchman. Marc Marquez will head straight into Q2 in P7, as the eight-time World Champion completed his good deed of the day to help Pecco get back to the box after the Italian ran out of fuel.
Acosta, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) are the other riders heading into Q2 automatically, as Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) miss out by less than a tenth in P11 and P12 as Honda continue to show signs of progression.
So that’s another Friday in the history books. Now, attentions turn to qualifying and the Tissot Sprint as another super Saturday awaits in Indonesia, and as always, you can catch it all on motogp.com!
FP2: 10:10 (UTC +8)
Q1: 10:50
Q2: 11.15
Tissot Sprint: 15:00
Oliveira declared unfit for Indonesian GP
Following a Turn 4 highside in Free Practice 1, the Trackhouse Racing star has been ruled out of action in Lombok after sustaining a fractured right wrist. The team confirmed Oliveira underwent a three-dimensional CT scan in the hospital in Mataram to evaluate the need for surgery.
Ogura tops timesheets full of key contenders on Friday
World Championship leader Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) hit the ground running in Indonesia to lead the pack heading into Saturday’s action thanks to a new lap record around the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. The Japanese rider’s 1:33.690 saw him beat Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) by 0.057s, as Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) completed the top three, 0.163s away from the summit.
– Fermin Aldeuger (Beta Tools SpeedUp) showed some strong pace to claim P4 on Day 1 and sit under two tenths shy of his fellow Boscoscuro rider Ogura.
– 2022 Indonesian GP race winner, Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), enjoyed a solid start to his Friday with a P5 finish in Practice 1.
– Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) and the impressive Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) set the exact same lap time to finish P6 and P7 respectively, while title-chasing Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and Emilia-Romagna GP winner Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) have work to do on Saturday morning from P21 and P23.
Who will sail into the top 14 by the end of Practice 2? Find out at 09:25, before qualifying gets going at 13:45 in Mandalika.
Veijer fastest, Alonso P13 on Day 1
Moto3™ has landed at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, with Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) topping the standings after an impressive Friday. The Dutchman destroyed the lap record, giving him a 0.154s advantage over the field as the only rider in the 1:37s. Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) continued his impressive recent form in second, ahead of David Almansa (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team), who claimed a strong P3 after nearly 20 laps in Practice 1.
– It was an eventful start to the weekend, with a number of riders crashing in the fist session of the day including Championship leader David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) at Turn 4 – rider ok but after Practice 1 in the afternoon, he sits P13 but two places ahead of key rival Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3)
– Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) would dip under the lap record first in the afternoon before Veijer grabbed top spot – taking the fight to Honda after a notable day for the Japanese factory. By the end of play, four Hondas complete the top five: Fernandez, Almansa, his teammate Matteo Bertelle and Lunetta
– Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA), who had a strong day to finish ahead of Round 12 winner Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in seventh. Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) took eighth on his first visit to the track, after topping the first session too. Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) and Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP’s Tatsuki Suzuki complete the top ten
Can Alonso move forward on Saturday? Tune in for P2 at 8:40 (UTC+8) before qualifying from 12:50 to find out!
