Lorenzo Untouchable Ahead of Qualifying

Sep 12, 2015
3 min read

Jorge Lorenzo continues to dominate the field in Misano after yet another record lap in the third free practice session of the weekend.

The Spaniard blitzed the competition with a mammoth lap of 1:32.192 towards the end of the 45-minute session. Yamaha trialled some Ducati style aerodynamic 'winglets' in yesterday's free practice two, but they did not appear this morning and seem unlikely to do so until next year. Despite this, Lorenzo was still able to run at a deadly consistent pace, setting a succession of laps in the 1:32s.

Marc Marquez could match the Yamaha rider's pace, but lacked the consistency. Some three tenths down on raw pace too, Honda desperately need to dig deep to try ad find something with the setting of the RC213V to be on a par with Lorenzo for the race.

The same goes for the Championship leader. Valentino Rossi struggled yesterday with the front-end of his YZR-M1, suffering under braking and on turn-in. It appeared as if the team were able to dial some of that out, and this allowed the Italian to lap at a fairly constant pace on his second run. Armed with a fresh medium rear, the Doctor went 3rd quickest in the closing minutes of the session with a 1:32.793, some six tenths slower than his team-mate. His long run pace was about the same, which means FP4 will be vital in Rossi's search for a second consecutive home victory tomorrow.

Ducati managed four bikes straight into QP2: Andrea Dovizioso, Michele Pirro, Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci. Dovi put in a best lap of 1:32.802 to go 4th quickest on the time sheets, with team-mate Iannone in 8th having pulled himself out of the QP1 zone. Pirro has been a shining this weekend, not surprising given how often he frequents the Misano circuit as the team's test rider, and has upset the apple cart somewhat. With the chequered flag out Pirro was down in 12th, but a last-gasp effort of 1:32.930 launched up the standings to 6th. This denied Cal Crutchlow instant access to QP2. Petrucci vindicated his receiving of the GP14.2 by going through to QP2 in 10th whilst Hernandez, his team-mate, languished in 15th.

The battle for the top two spots in QP1 will be very intense indeed. Crutchlow, Aleix Espargaro, Maverick Vinales and Scott Redding were separated in FP3 by just over a tenth of a second. The Suzuki duo have struggled this weekend, but on the soft tyres they were able to get inside the top ten for a small while. This will hand them the advantage in qualifying, but the Honda negates this tyre disadvantage with its grunt.

QP2 Runners:

Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:32.192

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, 1:32.421

Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:32.793

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, 1:32.802

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, 1:32.855

Michele Pirro, Ducati Team, 1:32.930

Bradley Smith, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:32.960

Andrea Iannone, Ducati Team, 1:32.960

Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:33.012

Danilo Petrucci, Octo Pramac Racing Ducati, 1:33.013

QP1 Runners: