Lorenzo On Top Form After FP2

Oct 9, 2015
4 min read

Jorge Lorenzo ends day one of the 2015 Motul Japanese Grand Prix fastest after setting a blistering pace in the second free practice session.

The Movistar Yamaha rider was ominous, setting a metronomic consistency that reeks of a seventh win of the season for the Spaniard. He posted a fasted lap of 1:44.731 towards the end of the session and is firmly the man to beat heading into qualifying tomorrow.

Valentino Rossi knows that Lorenzo is set to break away if he gets to the front at the start of the race, and that he needs to try and upset his rhythm. But FP2 showed the Doctor was some eight tenths off of the pace of his team-mate, which just isn't good enough. Free practice times are sometimes hard to read into as we don't quite know what the teams and riders were doing, but given that qualifying will take place at around the same time tomorrow in similar conditions there will be a long debrief between Rossi and his crew this evening.

Dani Pedrosa has come to Japan a new man almost, following his titanic scrap with Rossi in Aragon a couple of weeks ago. He was Lorenzo's closest challenger in 2nd on a 1:44.859, and could be a huge hindrance to his compatriot on Sunday. This of course helps Rossi as it could mean Lorenzo leaves Motegi with fewer points.

Pedrosa also seems to be the only Honda rider not struggling with the RC213V at the 2.8-mile circuit. Team-mate Marc Marquez must be feeling the strain in his left hand having finished 7th on the time sheets once again, whilst Cal Crutchlow and Scott Redding failed to make it into the top ten.

Ducati look like the biggest threat tomorrow after both Factory bikes ended the day 3rd and 4th without showing their true potential on the Extra-soft rear Bridgestone. Iannone was marginally quicker than his team-mate, and both look capable of snatching pole. Ducati have been running double wings on the GP15 today in a bid to find more stability under braking and front grip in the corners. This pace seems unlikely to carry through to Sunday, however. Iannone will suffer as the race wears on with his dislocated shoulder, whilst Dovizioso will struggle on the brakes. But if both Ducatis qualify well, then they could make a big impact on the race in the opening stages.

Bradley Smith emerged as top Satellite rider once again by a comfortable margin. The Tech 3 rider was on superb form this afternoon, setting a best lap of 1:45.280 to see him top briefly before dropping back to 5th. Team-mate Pol Espargaro was three tenth adrift in 9th.

Hector Barbera was the stand-out performer of the session in 10th. The Avintia Ducati rider popped in a fresh Extra-soft slick towards the end of the session to fire himself into the top ten, going as high a 6th. Bridgestone have stated that the Extra-soft tyre will make a huge difference at Motegi, and this is bad news for some of those without who struggle to make it into QP2 at the best of times. Barbera is looking to take the fight to Loris Baz in the Open class title, and with the Frenchman struggling down in 24th he stands a good chance of doing so.

The softer tyres brought to Japan are helping Suzuki a lot. Aleix Espargaro ended the day a very respectable 6th quickest after a run on the Extra-soft rear. Suzuki have upgraded the engine slightly, yielding a few more horsepower, and this has been a big help. Maverick Vinales, on the second GSX-RR, was a little further down in 13th and one has to assume that the Spaniard will find a little more time tomorrow.

FP2 Result:

1st Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:44.731

2nd Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, 1:44.859

3rd Andrea Iannone, Ducati Team, 1:45.045

4th Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, 1:45.059

5th Bradley Smith, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:45.250

6th Aleix Espargaro, Team Suzuki Ecstar, 1:45.348

7th Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, 1:45.492

8th Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:45.554

9th Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:45.597

10th Hector Barbera, Avintia Racing Ducati, 1:45.645

11th Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda, 1:45.876