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MotoGP Austria: Dovizioso takes charge in second session

Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso fought it out with Maverick Vinales for top spot in the second MotoGP free practice session at Austria’s Red Bull Ring in soft-tyre shootout which saw the top 16 riders covered by less than a second.

Dovizoso put in a 1’24.046 on his 14th lap, using a soft rear, to pinch top spot from Vinales right just as the chequered flag came out. Vinales had gone in for a late tyre change but his crew weren’t prepared to put in a new front as well as a soft rear.

The Movistar Yamaha man came out and stuck in a 1’24.305 to head the table but Dovizioso had other ideas and marched to the top. Vinales had another quick lap in him but it was just below the mark at 1’24.280 with the pair sharing three 1’24s in the session.

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Dani Pedrosa had been numero uno with a couple of minutes left. The Repsol Honda man came from 14th to first with a 1’24.474 but was demoted by both Vinales and then Dovizoso. It was the Spaniard’s only 1’24s lap. Johann Zarco looks to have the strongest pace with five laps in the 1’24s all set on his usual soft/soft combination.

Jorge Lorenzo is showing the new aero package is working for him, setting a 1’24.616 for fifth place and it is among four 1’24s laps for the former champion. Reigning champion Marc Marquez ended in seventh but his pace was sporadic with three 1’24s mixed in with 1’25, 1’26s and 1’27s in both runs.

Hector Barbera claimed sixth place with his time from this morning but didn’t improve while Britain’s Cal Crutchlow jumped into eighth with a 1’24.668. Aleix Espargaro ended in ninth while Scot Redding took the final automatic Q2 spot should it piss down as forecast in the morning.

A downpour for FP3 could spell disaster for Valentino Rossi, who despite improving his pace by more than three tenths over lunch, could only end in 13th place and eight-tenths off the pace. He was headed by Alvaro Bautista and Pol Espargaro, and is six-tenths down on team-mate Vinales.

Despite showing early pace, last year’s winner Andrea Iannone could only put the Ecstar Suzuki in 16th while Sam Lowes finished in 18th place. Bradley Smith ended in 24th but only 1.6s off the lead.

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