Britain’s Cal Crutchlow fought reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez for top spot in the third free practice in Argentina and only missed out by 0.056s as the top men traded times in the final minutes.
For a majority of the session, Bridgestone’s hardest option rear tyres were put to use as grip and longevity were measured in preparation for tomorrow’s race. It was only as the clock ticked past 10 minutes to go did softer rubber go in and the time attacks begin.
Monster Yamaha’s Bradley Smith was the first man to make a move, jumping to seventh on the combined sheet with a 1’39.471 before Eugene Laverty stopped the clock with a 1’39.362 to bag fourth place on the Open Honda.
A lap later, Marquez stepped up to the plate and put in the fastest lap of the session, a 1’38.602 which was never bettered despite how much Crutchlow tried. Aleix Espargaro’s time from yesterday’s FP2 was good enough to keep him in third while Ducati’s Andrea Iannone used his medium rear to grab fourth.
Jorge Lorenzo had been sitting in fourth place but he got bounced first by Andrea Dovizioso and then Italian was bumped by his own team-mate to leave Lorenzo in sixth place and 0.350s off the pace.
Lorenzo’s Movistar Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi was next along and only 0.067s behind while Danilo Petrucci shot into eighth place late on. Maverick Vinales made it two Suzukis that go into qualifying two by right and he is joined by Scott Redding, whose last lap was enough for tenth place.
Redding’s Austin nemesis Pol Espargaro will have to go into qualifying one this afternoon as he ended his session in 11th and only one place ahead of Laverty who could be a geniune qualifying two contender, if he can head off both Espargaro and Bradley Smith, who is down in 13th.
