Viñales leads free practice in Brno

 Maverick Viñales set the pace in both Moto3™ practice sessions as the bwin Grand Prix České republiky weekend began at Brno on Friday. The Team Calvo rider led Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Marquez and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Luis Salom. Less than a week after the crash at Indianapolis that left him with an injured left foot, championship leader Salom was heading the afternoon session until a last-gasp lap from Viñales saw the latter post 2’08.504. Second-placed Marquez was three hundredths of a second off the leading pace and has demonstrated consistency all day. Completing the top five were Marquez’s teammate Alex Rins – winner of the last two races, at the Sachsenring and Indianapolis – and Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, as conditions varied between overcast and bright spells. There was a fall for Ajo’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin in the afternoon, whereas incidents came in the morning session for both Isaac Viñales (Ongetta-Centro Seta) and Francesco Bagnaia (San Carlo Team Italia). Just one practice session now remains ahead of qualifying, with last year’s pole position having gone to Maverick Viñales.