This afternoon’s MotoGP Catalunya free practice at the Montmelò circuit was a photocopy of last week’s practice session at Assen, with Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo exchanging the top of the chart between themselves,and a few forays by Randy de Puniet at the beginnning of the hour.
Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest with a best lap of 1′43″259 and once again his race pace seemed devastating.
On his second run he went under the 1.
44 mark and a series of different runs that were all in the 1.
43s confirming the Spaniard’s state of grace this year.
Casey Stoner looks in better shape than his previous practices, we’ll have to hear from him if his arm pump is giving him further problems, but the Australian was the first rider under the 1.
44s and finished just 0.
153s from Lorenzo.
As usual it’s difficult to judge the Ducatista’s race pace with his habit of brief stints on track.
Dani Pedrosa took third considering that the Honda HRC rider is usually farther down on the charts on Friday’s, but his best run was done on softer tires and he hit the mark only once.
Team mate Andrea Dovizioso took fourth and he was just 0,094s from Pedrosa.
Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies was only 0.
595s from Lorenzo in fifth and this was the first time that he’s seen this track.
Aleix Esparago was sixth, and he knows the Montmelo track like his pockets as he lives just a few miles away with his brother Pol.
Randy de Puniet was seventh, but we expect him to move up in tomorrow’s qualifying session.
Nicky Hayden struggled in the first half of the hour, but managed to move up to eighth.
Ninth went to Colin Edwards and Marco Simoncelli came in tenth and 1.
375s from Lorenzo.
Marco Melandri who is riding with a disclocated shoulder picked up at Assen was understandably in 14th.
While Honda and Yamaha test riders, Kousuke Akiyoshi and Wataru Yoshikawa filling in for Hiroshi Aoyama and Valentino Rossi were four massive seconds off the front riders in 16th and 17th.
1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 322.
4 1′43.
2592 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Team Ducati 321.
8 1′43.
412 0.
153 / 0.
1533 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 327.
2 1′43.
631 0.
372 / 0.
2194 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 322.
8 1′43.
725 0.
466 / 0.
0945 11 Ben SPIES USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 321.
1 1′43.
854 0.
595 / 0.
1296 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 319.
1 1′44.
136 0.
877 / 0.
2827 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 321.
2 1′44.
196 0.
937 / 0.
0608 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 324.
9 1′44.
440 1.
181 / 0.
2449 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 318.
2 1′44.
551 1.
292 / 0.
11110 58 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 321.
5 1′44.
634 1.
375 / 0.
08311 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 323.
2 1′44.
641 1.
382 / 0.
00712 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 319.
2 1′44.
692 1.
433 / 0.
05113 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Team Ducati 318.
6 1′44.
745 1.
486 / 0.
05314 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 324.
0 1′44.
806 1.
547 / 0.
06115 40 Hector BARBERA SPA Paginas Amarillas Aspar Ducati 321.
4 1′45.
004 1.
745 / 0.
19816 64 Kousuke AKIYOSHI JPN Interwetten Honda MotoGP Honda 313.
7 1′47.
757 4.
498 / 2.
75317 8 Wataru YOSHIKAWA JPN Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 318.
3 1′48.
015 4.
756 / 0.
258
