Moto2: Baldassarri tops day one of Triumph era

Lorenzo Baldassarri has topped the opening day of Moto2’s Triumph era at the Losail circuit in Qatar, ending the first day of British power in the intermediate series a quarter of a second faster than Marcel Schrotter and Remy Gardner. The new 765cc engines saw the Italian take nearly half a second off the lap record, making the use of not only more power but better torque on corner exit.

Sam Lowes was the top of the Brits in fourth, recovering from an electrical problem in FP1 that saw him sit out most of the session. Carrying on his strong pace from testing to the opening round, he ended the day content with what he achieved.

However, the extra power also seemed to catch out a number of riders, with Iker Lucuona, Tom Luthi and Brit Jake Dixon among those to supper high-speed highsides. Dixon was sore but OK after his crash, finishing his day in 30th.