The weather played the wild card on the first day of practice at the fully resurfaced Sachsenring, with the afternoon session all but washed out. With more rain forecast for tomorrow, it meant that FP1 could prove crucial for tomorrow’s qualifying, with championship leader Andrea Dovizioso in the pound seats, and last week’s winner Valentino Rossi still queuing for his ticket, after a breakdown in the morning cost him valuable time.
The factory Ducati rider narrowly lead Movistar Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) in a morning when the new and still “green” surface put him within less than a tenth of the race lap record, but more than a second off the previous best lap at the shortest track of the year.
Just 3.67-km long and comprising mainly left-hand corners, the car-park circuit outside the city of Chemnitz favoured the Aprilia. With his lack of top speed not significant, Aleix Espargaro was fourth fastest, less than one hundredth faster than Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Ducati).
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) was sixth, three tenths off Dovi’s time; with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha), Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati), Jack Miller (VDS Honda) and Scott Redding (Pramac Ducati) completing the top ten.
Unless tomorrow morning’s FP3 is dry after all, this ten will go straight through to Q2, for the front grid positions.
Not only Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha – 11th) and 12th-fastest Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) will have to fight it out for the chance to join them, as one of the top two in Q1.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda – 13th) and Rossi (16th) are in the same boat.
Rossi was 15th in the wet afternoon as well, when Hector Barbera narrowly shaded the factory Hondas of Marquez and Pedrosa.
Rossi lost some ten minutes in the morning session when his bike switched itself off to protect against a potential fault. Stranded at the top of the hill early in the lap with no way back to the paddock, Rossi had to freewheel round a quarter of a lap before he found a break in the fence.
Both MotoGP free practice sessions were extended by ten minutes, to give riders a chance to assess the new surface, and control tyre suppliers Michelin the chance to see if they had the right rubber to go the distance.
As in Argentina, Race Direction decreed a compulsory five-lap race-speed run by all riders on the hard rear tyre, to verify its integrity. By the end of the first day, thanks to rain in the afternoon, not all riders had completed this task, at the risk of losing grid position as punishment.
Unable to pre-test at the pocket-handkerchief track, which doubles as a driver-training centre in the middle of an industrial estate, and is only open a few days each year, Michelin brought an extra compound both front and rear, giving riders a choice of hard, soft, and two mediums.
Moto2
Moto2 free practice had the benefit of a drying track, with the best times coming at the close of play, and Tom Luthi (CarXpert Kalex) the leader. Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Suter) came within half a tenth of him in the dying minutes; the pair pushing Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) to third, his time set in the morning. This put three different chassis manufacturers in the top three.
Points leader Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Kalex) had led the afternoon session earlier, ending up fourth, ahead of Pecco Bagnaia (SKY VR46 Kalex), Taka Nakagami (Idemitsu Kalex) and a revived Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Suter). Alex Marquez was tenth-fastest after a tumble in the morning; Remy Gardner (Tech 3) a career-best 12th.
Moto3
Moto3 was likewise predominantly dry, with almost all the best times set in the afternoon, and Hondas again in control of the provisional front row.
Points leader Joan Mir (Leopard Honda) was fastest buy a yawning seven tenths from Romano Fenati (Rivacold Honda). But third-fastest Jorge Martin (Del Conca Honda) was out for the weekend after a heavy crash – see separate News story.
Peter Oettl was top KTM in fourth, then Livio Loi’s Honda and Bo Bendsneyder ahead of Nicolo Bulega (both KTM).
Former champion Danny Kent, riding the Red Bull KTM in place of the injured Niccolo Antonelli, was 17th.
by Michael Scott
