Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo set the pace in the second MotoGP free practice session at Silverstone, and a 2’02.338 was good enough to place him P1 on the time-sheets.
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez did improve on his best time from FP1 by nearly one second, but it was not enough to displace Lorenzo. The current champ lapped a 2’02.371, and was only 0.033 off the Movistar backed M1 of his rival.
Monster Yamaha’s Bradley Smith had a stellar free practice outing and with 15 minutes left lapped a 2’02.531 to go third fastest, shaving two seconds off his best time set this morning.
Initially it was Lorenzo was the first rider to go inside the 2’02’s after only five minutes of being out on the English track on a soft front and medium rear tyre compound. Redding also had a strong start to go P2, with a 2’03.284.
But the Gloucestershire lad could not hold on to second fastest, and was almost immediately demoted down to fourth, as Marquez and team-mate Pedrosa put down hot laps after fifteen minutes.
Briton, Bradley Smith was inside the top ten but propelled his YZR-M1 to fourth quickest after thirty minutes, with a 2’30.234, pushing fellow Brit, Redding back to down sixth.
But Smith hadn’t give up the chase for P1 and put down a 2’02.531 with five minutes remaining. When the chequered flag appeared, Smith had done enough to hold on to third fastest, just two tenths off the best lap set by Lorenzo.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso completed the top ten. Elsewhere Brit, Scott Redding slipped further back down the timing-screens to end in a solid ninth, just ahead of Valentino Rossi.
The legend rounded off the top ten, but was one second off the pace of team-mate, Lorenzo on is M1, and could only improve on his time by five tenths from the opening free practice session.
LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow did improve by one second from the first outing, but he was languishing near the bottom of the timing-screens, and at one point open class rider, Aspar’s Eugene Laverty was lapping faster than the Isle of Man based resident, But at the flag Crutchlow found 0.1s to go P15, with Laverty ending FP2 with a 2’03.877 in sixteenth on the time-sheets.
There was an incident out on track, with Iannone succumbing to the long Silverstone circuit. He fell at Club Corner, but was unhurt.
