Dazzling Dovizioso

The MotoGP FP2 outing saw Andrea Dovizioso top the timesheets at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with Yonny Hernandez and Dani Pedrosa just behind him on combined times. Dovizioso (Ducati Team) put in a best time of 1’49.195 in a rain affected FP2 to lead the way despite a crash early in the session. Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) produced a best time of 1’50.310 in the morning to lead FP1 and was second overall, but did not improve in the afternoon practice which he finished fifth. Pedrosa was second in FP2 and third best overall with a time of 1’50.356 on the Repsol Honda RC213V. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Octo IodaRacing Project) completed the overall top five. Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP), Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) were all in the top ten. Rossi was one of several crashers in the morning session but was not hurt in the accident. Iannone was another morning crasher and he took a heavy ankle blow but was able to continue riding after lunch. Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing), Iannone, Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Karel Abraham (Cardion AB) all had FP2 falls too. Teammates Scott Redding and Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) and Alex De Angelis (NGM Forward Racing) fell in the final minutes of practice but were fortunately unharmed. Indeed Friday saw a record number of crashes for a single day in Grand Prix racing across the three categories, with the rain causing 62 falls in total. Moto2: First day’s action concludes with determined Folger on top In a wet Moto2™ FP2 at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, the top three riders were Jonas Folger, Julian Simon and Hafizh Syahrin. With the rain failing less heavily by the end of the afternoon Moto2 session the majority of riders managed to improve on their morning times, with Folger (AGR Team) leading the way courtesy of a 1’52.449 best effort – three seconds quicker than he went in FP1. Behind him in the top three, Simon (Italtrans Racing Team) and Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) were respectively 0.189s and 0.615s off the German’s pace. Franco Morbidelli (Italtrans Racing Team) and Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing) both ended the day in the top five. Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team), Gino Rea (AGT REA Racing), Ricard Cardus (Tech 3), Randy Krummenacher (IodaRacing Project) and Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) completed the top ten. Thitipong Warokorn (APH PTT The Pizza SAG), Sam Lowes (Speed Up), Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Jordi Torres (Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2) and Morbidelli took early falls. Dominique Aegerter (Technomag CarXpert), Cardus, Simon and Simeon crashed in the closing stages of the session, as did Cortese who took his second tumble late in FP2. None of the riders were hurt in the incidents. Moto3™: Moto2™-bound Rins ahead in wet Friday practices As the Moto3™ FP2 run concluded in wet conditions at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini it was Alex Rins who – despite a crash - set the best time just as he had in FP1. Behind him on the combined timesheet were Niccolo Antonelli and Jack Miller. With his move up to Moto2™ for 2015 also confirmed today, Rins’ best time of the day of 1’55.049 in FP1 was a second ahead of Antonelli’s fastest lap, also from the morning session. Miller was 1.285s behind the pace setting Spaniard. The fastest time for a Moto3 bike around Misano is 1’42.707, set by Jonas Folger last year, which gives an idea of how the Friday pace was affected by the ongoing rain. FP2 pace was even slower than in the morning, with the riders generally three to five seconds down on their FP1 times. On the combined times Andrea Locatelli (San Carlo Team Italia) and Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) completed the top five. Meanwhile, Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA Racing Team), Matteo Ferrari (San Carlo Team Italia), Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo), Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra Racing) and Isaac Viñales (Calvo Team) rounded out the top ten. After numerous crashes in the morning session there were several spills in the afternoon as heavy rain and standing water hindered the riders. Teammates Rins and Marquez, John McPhee (SAXOPRITN-RTG), Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Ongetta-AirAsia), Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo), San Carlo Team Italia riders Locatelli and Ferrari, Philipp Oettl (Interwetten Paddock Moto3), the aforementioned Antonelli and Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold) all fell during Free Practice 2. Miller, Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) and Gabriel Ramos (Kiefer Racing) fell in the closing stages, with Turn 6 claiming the most victims. None of the riders were seriously hurt.