Smith soars to top spot in FP2

May 25, 2015
2 min read

The sun had re-emerged for the start of the second free practice session for the MotoGP class. This meant times improved almost instantly, eventually dipping below record pace. Tech 3 looked good during FP1, but you could have taken that with a pinch of salt due to the track temperatures. Bradley Smith, however, proved that FP1 was not a fluke and the team do have genuine pace in Le Mans. The Briton took his Yamaha YZR-M1 to top spot with a 1:33.179 in the final minutes of the session. Smith crashed in the closing seconds at turn thirteen, but no one improved on their final laps. Jorge Lorenzo was very consistent in FP1, and continued to put in long runs this afternoon. He was able to improve on his time from this morning and was 2nd quickest by the drop of the flag, with FP1 fastest man Andrea Dovizioso completing the top three. Cal Crutchlow was once again 4th fastest, cementing his position as a potential podium contender come Sunday. Marc Marquez completed the top five in a less troublesome session for the Spaniard. The man who impressed the most was Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard has been out of action since the end of March, so to jump back on a 250hp RC213V following surgery on his arm and clock the 7th quickest time is testament to Pedrosa's fighting spirit. He also only a few hundredths behind his team-mate, which will definitely put a smile on his face. Pol Espargaro, Aleix Espargaro and Yonny Hernandez completed the top ten. Both Espargaro brothers crashed in the final minutes of the session, joining Alex De Angelis, Alvaro Bautista and Maverick Vinales as the rider who visited the Le Mans gravel in FP2. FP2 Top Ten: 1st Bradly Smith, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:33.179 2nd Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:33.369 3rd Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, 1:33.553 4th Cal Crutchlow, CWM LCR Honda, 1:33.652 5th Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, 1:33.670 6th Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:33.686 7th Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, 1:33.725 8th Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:33.903 9th Aleix Espargaro, Team Suzuki Ecstar, 1:33.944 10th Yonny Hernandez, Pramac Racing Team Ducati, 1:33.953