Maverick Vinales led the field during MotoGP Free Practice Two (FP2) Friday at Ricardo Tormo Circuit, near Valencia, Spain. Riding his factory Aprilia RS-GP, the Spaniard lapped the recently surfaced 2.5-mile (4.0 km) course in 1:29.142, which broke Jorge Lorenzo’s All-Time Lap Record of 1:29.401 set way back in 2016!
Championship hopeful Jorge Martin was the best of the rest with a 1:29.289 on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati, and Martin’s teammate Johann Zarco finished the session in third with a 1:29.296.
Defending World Champion and current Championship point leader Francesco Bagnaia did a best time of 1:29.801, which left him 15th in the session and heading to Qualifying One (Q1) on Saturday to try to fight his way into Q2 and the top 12 grid spots.
The top 16 riders in the session were separated by only 0.860 second, and the entire field was covered by just 1.798 seconds.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
#PECCOvsMARTIN: the mind games begin on Day 1
Viñales breaks the lap record to head Martin, Bagnaia heads for Q1 as Friday serves up some serious talking points
Friday, 24 November 2023
The heat has officially hit fever pitch in the title battle and a huge Saturday at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana awaits. For one, Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is heading for Q1. Two, amid some interesting mind games from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) as the Spaniard looks to overturn that 21-point deficit. He was also second quickest on Friday as Bagnaia took only P15. And all that as Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) set the pace thanks to a 1:29.142 – a new Circuit Ricardo Tormo all-time lap record.
Mind games aplenty
After FP1 saw Martin take P3 and Bagnaia P13, all eyes were on Practice and the soft rubber went in early with qualifying incredibly important at the tight and twisty Valencia layout – especially for the two title protagonists. The final five minutes of the Practice session is when things got even more interesting as Martin headed out armed with a definite game plan.
Plenty of red sectors came flying in but all eyes were on the title duo, who were locked together in the pitlane after being out on track together. Martin latched himself onto the back of Pecco and shadowed him around the out-lap – including running wide at Turn 8 – as Pecco tried his best to find a time to propel him into the top 10.
That didn’t happen on his first flying lap and with time only allowing for one final lap to be laid in the session, the pressure was on Bagnaia. But it would prove too late as a crash for Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) at Turn 3 brought out the yellow flags, and that was that. Bagnaia ended Practice in P15, meaning Q1 awaits for the Championship leader… and Martin’s tactics seemingly worked a treat as he headed straight into Q2 as the second fastest rider on track.
A top 15 covered by just 0.659s
With just over half a second covering the top 15, fine margins again made all the difference, and Viñales ends Friday with that freshly-pressed lap record. Behind Martin in second, his teammate Johann Zarco enjoyed a positive day and ended Friday as one of three riders underneath the seven-year-old lap record too. How crucial could Zarco’s pace prove to be for the rest of the weekend for Prima Pramac Racing and Martin?
Elsewhere, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) continued his strong form to claim P4, with compatriot Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – despite a crash at Turn 8 – completing the top five.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ended the 60-minute Practice stint in P6, while eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) gets set for a Q2 appearance following a positive day as the #93 finished Friday in seventh. Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team), Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – another crasher in Practice – and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) are the other riders who bagged automatic Q2 spots.
The reigning Champion’s Q1 hurdle
Bagnaia will have teammate Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) for company in the biggest 15 minutes of the season, while the likes of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) will also fancy their chances of processing.
A mouthwatering day awaits in Valencia. The 2023 title tale has taken a twist on Friday, but what does qualifying and Tissot Sprint Saturday have in store? You’ll have to tune in to find out!
SHOWTIME IN VALENCIA
The stage is set for Qualifying and the Tissot Sprint! Make sure you tune in:
MotoGP™ FP2: 10:10
MotoGP™ Q1: 10:50
MotoGP™ Q2: 111:15
MotoGP™ Sprint: 15:00
Acosta vs Aldeguer: a duel for the top on Friday
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is the rider to beat after the opening day of the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, exchanging lap times with Fermin Aldeguer (CAG SpeedUp) at the top of the timesheets until a decisive new all-time lap record from the reigning Champion: a 1:33.768. Aldeguer fell 0.132s short of #37 by the close of P2, with Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) rounding out the top three following Friday’s running.
Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) made a step in Practice 2 to put himself within 0.238s off the pace. The Brit finished the day in 4th place ahead of his compatriot Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) who enjoyed a positive opening day to round out the top five. Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) also took well to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo and put his Triumph Kalex in P6 ahead of Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing).
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) knocked one second off his lap time in Practice 2 as he found his feet in Valencia. The American bagged 8th place ahead of his teammate Dennis Foggia, with Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) kicking off his Valencia GP with a Friday P10.
Moto2™ will be back in action on Saturday for Practice 3 at 09:25 and qualifying at 13:45 local (GMT +1)! Will the Acosta-Aldeguer duel continue?
Moto3™: Holgado dominates Day 1
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) ended Day 1 of the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana fastest after his 1:38.706 saw him top the timesheets in Practice 2. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) got the closest to the Spaniard’s time despite bringing out the red flags with a mid-session high side. The Turk was taken to the medical centre for a check-up and will be reviewed before Practice 3 in the morning, but his time stood strong as he remained the only rider to join Holgado in the 1:38 club in 2nd place. Joel Kelso (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) finished the day in 3rd place overall after clocking a time just under three-tenths away from the top spot.
Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) missed out on the top three by just 0.047s as he took P4. Next up behind the Spaniard was Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team), with 2023 World Champion Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) taking sixth. Ryusei Yamanaka (GASGAS Aspar Team) finished the day in P7 as half a second covered the top eight – the eighth of those riders being Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) and Vicente Perez (BOE Motorsports) rounded out the top 10.
Rookie of the Year David Alonso (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) suffered two big crashes in Practice 2, the second one involved Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) with the Japanese rider hitting the Colombian’s machine on the exit of Turn 11. Both riders were up on their feet, Sasaki rider ok and Alonso heading to the medical centre for a check-up – he’ll be reviewed tomorrow morning ahead of Practice 3.
That session will decide entrants to Q2, before the final grid of the season is decided from 12:50 (GMT +1).
