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Qatar MotoGP test: Dovizioso draws first blood on day one

Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso has drawn first blood on day one of MotoGP testing at Qatar, topping the timesheets with a 1’54.819 to lead Movistar Yamaha wunderkind Maverick Vinales by more than three-tenths of a second while Britain’s Cal Crutchlow’s final effort of the day was enough to bag third place.

However, it was Karel Abraham’s 1’55.613 on his final lap that made the paddock sit up as he blasted into fourth place to bag the top satellite Ducati honours and push factory stablemate Jorge Lorenzo back into fifth with rookie Jonas Folger putting the Monster Yamaha in sixth place.

“In this first day of testing at Losail I had a really good feeling with my Desmosedici GP, better than I had expected, and the sensations were positive just like in Malaysia. We tried several different types of interesting set-up, which gave us some important feedback. Today everyone was very quick, but in any case I was able to set my time quite easily. We know we still have to improve certain aspects, but to start the tests in this way helps us a lot for the work that we have to do in the next couple of days,” said Dovi.

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Dovizioso put in 36 laps as work continues on the Desmosedici GP17, with no big visible aero updates for the Borgo Panigale factory in Qatar - yet. Dovizioso’s teammate, five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, continued his steady progress of adaptation, ending an solid first day under the floodlights in fifth with a best of 1’55.616.
 
Valentino Rossi, who left Phillip Island outside the top ten on combined times, had an improved position after the first day in the desert - finishing up seventh with a 1’55.679.
 
Crutchlow was the fastest Honda out the blocks, as the two-time GP winner put LCR Honda in P3 with a 1’55.420. The next Honda on the timesheets was Dani Pedrosa in eighth on a 1’55.692 – with reigning Champion Marc Marquez  12th with a 1’55.899. Marquez crashed twice on the first day, including a fall when first trying a new aero-fairing for his RC213V.

Ecstar Suzuki’s Andrea Iannone completed the top ten despite crashing - a 1’55.751 after 41 laps putting the Italian just ahead of compatriot Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) in P11.
 
Behind Marquez in twelfth, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) completed the top fifteen.

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