Photo: motogp.com
MotoGP action kicked off this morning at Alcaniz in Spain, with the first Free Practice session at the Motorland Aragon circuit. Movistar Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo looking more determined than ever to make this round count and reduce the gap from his teammate Valentino Rossi.
Lorenzo rode to a fastest lap of 1"48.249, well within Pedrosa's 2013 circuit record of 1'48.565. What matters most is that Lorenzo was almost half a second faster than Marc Marquez in the opening practice, though it will be interesting to see the young Spaniard's response this afternoon.
The current leader of the championship, Valentino Rossi was third, 0.575s behind Lorenzo and under a tenth adrift from Marquez. The other Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa was fourth, with a 0.801s gap from Lorenzo and 2 tenths slower than Rossi.
Smith was seventh, followed by his Tech 3 colleague Pol Espargaro and Cal Crutchlow, who just got the better of Iannone. Eugene Laverty is also in a very good 11th position, while Aprilia's Stefan Bradl had a wonderful morning in 12th, just as Loris Baz did, around 1 tenth slower than the German.
Suzuki and Pramac are struggling so far at Aragon, with Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales 16th and 19th, and Petrucci and Hernandez 18th and 21st, respectively. The newest name on the grid, Toni Elias is getting used to his new Forward Racing Yamaha and was last.
In case he doesn't, it's only about the difference between him and Rossi, as Marquez is out of the battle for the season crown, and is hard to believe that in normal conditions that exclude more crashing out of the race, he can threaten Lorenzo's position.
Knowing this, Lorenzo is the one rider who looks like carrying the heaviest weight on his shoulders. While the top four pilots are all strong competitors, his direct rival and teammate is in a spectacular physical form and mind frame, and rarely makes mistakes. And with his 10th title in his grasp, he will most likely be even more focused, calculated and determined to leave no open doors for his assailant.
Cometh ye, race Sunday! Oh, and in case you didn't know, the Aragon trophy was designed by Lorenzo, by the way...
The current leader of the championship, Valentino Rossi was third, 0.575s behind Lorenzo and under a tenth adrift from Marquez. The other Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa was fourth, with a 0.801s gap from Lorenzo and 2 tenths slower than Rossi.
By far, the biggest surprise of the morning came from Scott Redding
Scott Redding can be named the man of the morning, as the Brit was the fifth-fastest rider at Aragon in FP1. 1.1 seconds behind Lorenzo, he was only three tenths slower than Pedrosa and almost as quicker than Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso. DesmoDovi was the fastest Ducati rider, with his teammate Andrea Iannone being the other red machine inside the FP1 top ten this morning.Smith was seventh, followed by his Tech 3 colleague Pol Espargaro and Cal Crutchlow, who just got the better of Iannone. Eugene Laverty is also in a very good 11th position, while Aprilia's Stefan Bradl had a wonderful morning in 12th, just as Loris Baz did, around 1 tenth slower than the German.
Suzuki and Pramac are struggling so far at Aragon, with Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales 16th and 19th, and Petrucci and Hernandez 18th and 21st, respectively. The newest name on the grid, Toni Elias is getting used to his new Forward Racing Yamaha and was last.
Aragon may decide the (theoretical) winner of the 2015 season
The Aragon round is very important for the championship, as it may make a big difference as to how strong Lorenzo's title contention chances are. If he manages to win the race, he will have recovered 5 of the 23 point separating him from Rossi, improving his chances for the title.In case he doesn't, it's only about the difference between him and Rossi, as Marquez is out of the battle for the season crown, and is hard to believe that in normal conditions that exclude more crashing out of the race, he can threaten Lorenzo's position.
Knowing this, Lorenzo is the one rider who looks like carrying the heaviest weight on his shoulders. While the top four pilots are all strong competitors, his direct rival and teammate is in a spectacular physical form and mind frame, and rarely makes mistakes. And with his 10th title in his grasp, he will most likely be even more focused, calculated and determined to leave no open doors for his assailant.
Cometh ye, race Sunday! Oh, and in case you didn't know, the Aragon trophy was designed by Lorenzo, by the way...
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