Valencia MotoGP: Marquez tops opening day

Title hopeful Marc Marquez got off to the perfect start on the opening day of the final round in Valencia, topping both free practice sessions.

Team-mate and fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa set the second fastest time, with Jorge Lorenzo – the only other rider in with a shot of winning the world title – in third, 0.092s behind Marquez.

Cal Crutchlow was the best of the rest, displacing factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi towards the end of the session to set the fourth fastest time. The Brit crashed on his final lap but was unhurt.

Bradley Smith put on a strong performance in free practice 1, setting the fourth fastest time, but the rookie was unable to up the pace to keep with the front runners, finishing free practice 2 with the eighth fastest time.

1 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 326.8 1’31.220 
2 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 328.3 1’31.286 0.066 / 0.066
3 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 322.7 1’31.378 0.158 / 0.092
4 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 323.7 1’31.502 0.282 / 0.124
5 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 322.1 1’31.639 0.419 / 0.137
6 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 326.2 1’31.858 0.638 / 0.219
7 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA GO&FUN Honda Gresini Honda 325.3 1’31.873 0.653 / 0.015
8 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 320.7 1’31.984 0.764 / 0.111
9 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 321.1 1’32.363 1.143 / 0.379
10 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 318.3 1’32.395 1.175 / 0.032
11 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Ducati 319.8 1’32.596 1.376 / 0.201
12 51 Michele PIRRO ITA Ducati Test Team Ducati 318.8 1’32.756 1.536 / 0.160
13 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 311.6 1’32.809 1.589 / 0.053
14 71 Claudio CORTI ITA NGM Mobile Forward Racing FTR Kawasaki 307.4 1’33.172 1.952 / 0.363
15 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing FTR Kawasaki 309.2 1’33.252 2.032 / 0.080
16 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Avintia Blusens FTR 309.1 1’33.270 2.050 / 0.018
17 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda-Suter 307.0 1’33.304 2.084 / 0.034
18 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Ignite Pramac Racing Ducati 319.8 1’33.487 2.267 / 0.183
19 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 307.1 1’33.727 2.507 / 0.240
20 23 Luca SCASSA ITA Cardion AB Motoracing ART 305.4 1’34.049 2.829 / 0.322
21 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN Avintia Blusens FTR 311.9 1’34.077 2.857 / 0.028
22 70 Michael LAVERTY GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 306.3 1’34.132 2.912 / 0.055
23 67 Bryan STARING AUS GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda 303.7 1’35.478 4.258 / 1.346
24 50 Damian CUDLIN AUS Paul Bird Motorsport PBM 304.5 1’35.644 4.424 / 0.166
25 45 Martin BAUER AUT Remus Racing Team S&B Suter 301.0 1’35.832 4.612 / 0.188
26 52 Lukas PESEK CZE Came IodaRacing Project Ioda-Suter 301.3 1’36.353 5.133 / 0.521