Photo: motogp.com
After a rather tamed debut this season, Jorge Lorenzo seems to have found a better pace for the race at Jerez. He was the fastest rider in the first two Practice sessions and tops the combined time sheets for FP1 and FP2.
Lorenzo used the medium tire for his (still) best FP1 and the harder compound in FP2, but returned to the initial choice. It is yet uncertain which tire he will use for the race. We know that his teammate Valentino Rossi has been extensively testing the harder compound, hence his modest 9th place in the overall FP standings so far.
Even though things are not settled until we see the bikes lined up on the starting grid, we might see Rossi and his team going for the same strategy they used in Argentina. At Termas de Rio Hondo, a circuit well-known for being extremely punitive for the tires, Rossi started with the extra hard tire and started to benefit from the optimal grip when others' rear tires were starting to lose traction due to wear.
That's why we should not be that worried about seeing Rossi so low in the PF charts. It looks like he might choose to race with the hard option, and this tire simply can't produce top times in the first laps.
Aleix Espargaro was .049s behind Lorenzo in FP1 while Cal Crutchlow was almost half a second slower. In FP2, however, Marquez climbed into the second position, .128s behind Lorenzo and was followed by the factory Ducatis (Iannone and Dovizioso), with the elder of the Espargaro brothers 5th. Ahead of FP3, Lorenzo leads, followed by Aleix Espargaro, Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso. Surprisingly, Petrucci is sixth.
And if you thought that the Casey Stoner MotoGP saga was over, here's some more news. The media was not shy to speak about the hopes of seeing Stoner replacing injured Pedrosa, HRC announced that official test rider Hiroshi Aoyama will be the substitute rider for #26.
Motogp.com asked Shuhei Nakamoto rather bluntly whether he considers using Stoner in case Pedrosa's health problems will need even more time to be solved entirely. Nakamoto-san said that it was impossible to have a bike ready for Stoner on such short notice, so
Aoyama remains the only valid choice.
Still, the HRC vice president added a thing that will surely spark a lot of talks. "I would like to see Casey fighting for the podium, but we don’t have time to prepare the team and everything. Realistically if we need him, Casey comes back next season, not this season. We have no time.Everything is possible, everything," added Nakamoto.
Action has resumed at Jerez, and in FP3 Marquez is currently leading, at the time of writing, 10 minutes ahead of the end of the outing, followed by Crutchlow and Aleix Espargaro.
Even though things are not settled until we see the bikes lined up on the starting grid, we might see Rossi and his team going for the same strategy they used in Argentina. At Termas de Rio Hondo, a circuit well-known for being extremely punitive for the tires, Rossi started with the extra hard tire and started to benefit from the optimal grip when others' rear tires were starting to lose traction due to wear.
That's why we should not be that worried about seeing Rossi so low in the PF charts. It looks like he might choose to race with the hard option, and this tire simply can't produce top times in the first laps.
Ducati remains close to the podium, Suzuki also shows a good pace
Marc Marquez is fighting pain in his left hand as he is still recovering from a surgery to fix a broken little finger. Honda fitted a custom grip on his left handlebar, helping his gain as much control on the bike with whatever strength he can muster for the race, without overdoing it.Aleix Espargaro was .049s behind Lorenzo in FP1 while Cal Crutchlow was almost half a second slower. In FP2, however, Marquez climbed into the second position, .128s behind Lorenzo and was followed by the factory Ducatis (Iannone and Dovizioso), with the elder of the Espargaro brothers 5th. Ahead of FP3, Lorenzo leads, followed by Aleix Espargaro, Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso. Surprisingly, Petrucci is sixth.
Lorenzo gets Jerez Walk of Fame star, Nakamoto speaks about Casey Stoner
Jorge Lorenzo is a real star at Jerez. After having the final and infamous turn of the circuit named after him, the Cobra also got a real star on the Jerez Walk Of Fame and thus linked his name even more to the Andalusian circuit.And if you thought that the Casey Stoner MotoGP saga was over, here's some more news. The media was not shy to speak about the hopes of seeing Stoner replacing injured Pedrosa, HRC announced that official test rider Hiroshi Aoyama will be the substitute rider for #26.
Motogp.com asked Shuhei Nakamoto rather bluntly whether he considers using Stoner in case Pedrosa's health problems will need even more time to be solved entirely. Nakamoto-san said that it was impossible to have a bike ready for Stoner on such short notice, so
Aoyama remains the only valid choice.
Still, the HRC vice president added a thing that will surely spark a lot of talks. "I would like to see Casey fighting for the podium, but we don’t have time to prepare the team and everything. Realistically if we need him, Casey comes back next season, not this season. We have no time.Everything is possible, everything," added Nakamoto.
Action has resumed at Jerez, and in FP3 Marquez is currently leading, at the time of writing, 10 minutes ahead of the end of the outing, followed by Crutchlow and Aleix Espargaro.
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