Moto2: Lecuona leads chaotic wet practice

Local rider Iker Lecuona has topped the opening day of Moto2 action at Valencia, leading the way ahead of Alex Marquez and Miguel Oliveira, with most of the provisional grid setting their fastest time in this morning’s free practice one session as heavy rain hit the second outing of the day.

Fourth overall and fourth in FP2 was American rider Joe Roberts, who showed his incredible pace in the wet once again, despite a crash. He was just ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri, who was fifth on day one and third in the second, trickier session. World champion Francesco Bagnaia ends Friday in sixth overall but was 13^th in FP2, with Marcel Schrötter seventh quickest overall.

Second of the NTS wet weather heroes was Steven Odendaal, the South African crashing in both sessions but quick, with two MotoGP-bound riders completing the top ten: it was ninth for Joan Mir and tenth for Fabio Quartararo.

FP2 saw no less than 16 crashes: Lukas Tulovic, Hector Garzo, Khairul Idham Pawi, Jorge Navarro twice, replacement rider Tommaso Marcon, Xavi Cardelus, Tasca Racing’s Simone Corsi, Tetsuta Nagashima, Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini, Mattia Pasini and Sam Lowes, but with all riders ok.