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MotoGP Silverstone: Marquez tops opening session

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez had the edge in the opening MotoGP free practice session at Silverstone, with a 2’03.111 out-pacing, title rival Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, and team-mate Valentino Rossi in the process.

Marc VDS Racing’s Scott Redding took the leading Brit accolade in sixth, after a last lap dash paid off after a 2’04.170 rotation. Fellow countryman Monster Yamaha’s Bradley Smith was two tenths off the pace of Redding in seventh, with LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow who rounded off the top ten.

The former World Supersport champ did start off the session strongly but slipped off the pace towards the end of the 45 minute outing. At first it was Marquez who set the speed on the thirty minute mark with a 2’03.829, with Lorenzo 0.2 seconds adrift, followed closely by Iannone and Rossi.

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Double champion, Marquez continued to improve his form going in the final ten minutes of the opening free practice, going seven tenths faster than his opening lap, with a 2’03.111.

Monster Yamaha’s Pol Espargaro and Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa had a surge in form and overtook Rossi on the sheets with five minutes left to the FP1 session. But at the flag ended the morning in eighth and ninth respectively.

Lorenzo, who after spending time in the pits came out with a extra soft front and medium rear tyres, and in the dying sessions pushed a few tenths out of his YZR-M1 but at the flag couldn’t do enough to dethrone Marquez.

Rossi was struggling in the second sector throughout the session, but whatever appeared to be the problem he soon solved it with five minutes to go, and had the added pace push to third fastest towards the end with a 2’03.967.

Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso completed the top five, just behind his team-mate, Andrea Iannone. Aspar’s Eugene Laverty had a solid session and placed his machine fifteenth fastest on the sheets, with a respectable
2’05.170.

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