Former MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez has taken charge of the timesheets in Argentina as laptimes plummeted in free practice two this afternoon.
The Repsol Honda man set a 1’41.579 which, until team-mate Dani Pedrosa put in a scorcher at session end, was half a second faster than the pack and some 1.2s quicker than reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo who is struggling with the Rio Hondo track. The Mallorcan is just 14th fastest and slowest Yamaha, only just squeaking into the 1’42s bracket and could be in big trouble if it rains for free practice three tomorrow.
But team-mate Valentino Rossi isn’t fairing a lot better, mustering a 1’42.565 to be quickest of the M1 men in seventh but a country mile away from the gaggle of RC213Vs that occupy four of the top five slots.
Pedrosa was a little way off the pace until the chequered flag was being prepared but shot into second with a 1’41.604 which pushed Ecstar Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales back to third. The Spaniard bounced back from an early crash to set a 1’42.047 on his 11th lap of 15.
Jack Miller proved that his laptimes this morning were nothing to do with his dirt-track experience, and bagged fourth place with a 1’42.375 while Cal Crutchlow has made a miraculous recover from his session this morning. The Briton was dead last with a 1’46.086 but found three and a half seconds over lunch to take fifth place on a 1’42.451.
Scott Redding also made a big jump to secure sixth as the fastest Ductati and is one place ahead of Rossi. Aleix Espargaro had two crashes in the session, the second one just seconds after brother Pol had gone down at the same place, but managed to grab eighth place. Bradley Smith is ninth and just over a second off the pace while Andrea Dovizioso, fastest in session one, is in tenth.
Hector Barbera is the leading Ducati 14.2 in 11th but a storming last lap from Eugene Laverty saw him hop up to 12th and ahead of Espargaro’s Monster Yamaha. Lorenzo is in 14th with Andrea Iannone a surprise in 15th place.
