Dovizioso sets early Mugello pace for Ducati
Andrea Dovizioso signalled Ducati’s intent at Mugello with the quickest time in a tight opening practice session, as Jorge Lorenzo prevented a 1-2 for the Italian marque.
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Bridgestone Corporation
The Italian set the early pace around the flowing Tuscan circuit with a 1m48.025s before being ousted by Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, fresh from successive victories at Jerez and Le Mans.
Dovizioso later responded, shaving 0.091s off the Spaniard's benchmark with a 1m47.893s with a third of the session remaining to finish the morning on top.
Lorenzo improved in the closing stages, lapping within 0.033s of Dovizioso and demoting the second Ducati of Andrea Iannone to third place and denying the Bologna marque a 1-2.
Behind a top three split by less than half a tenth, Marc Marquez was the best of the Hondas in fourth place, just 0.135s adrift of Dovizioso, with Yonny Hernandez taking fifth aboard the Pramac Ducati after benefitting from the tow of Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha in the closing minutes.
Rossi finished the session sixth, half a second off the pace, ahead of an improved Marc VDS Honda of Scott Redding and the two Tech 3 Yamahas of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro.
Cal Crutchlow’s LCR Honda completed the top 10, ahead of the second factory RC213V of Dani Pedrosa, who continues to recover from his arm pump surgery that left him on the sidelines for three races, and Ducati wild-card Michele Pirro.
Hector Barbera was best of the Open class bikes in 14th, ahead of Maverick Vinales aboard the best of the Suzukis.
Practice results:
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1m47.893 |
2 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 0.033 |
3 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | 0.047 |
4 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 0.135 |
5 | Yonny Hernandez | Ducati | 0.411 |
6 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 0.432 |
7 | Scott Redding | Honda | 0.447 |
8 | Bradley Smith | Yamaha | 0.456 |
9 | Pol Espargaro | Yamaha | 0.497 |
10 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 0.566 |
11 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 0.648 |
12 | Michele Pirro | Ducati | 0.721 |
13 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | 0.723 |
14 | Hector Barbera | Ducati | 0.782 |
15 | Maverick Vinales | Suzuki | 1.207 |
16 | Nicky Hayden | Honda | 1.368 |
17 | Aleix Espargaro | Suzuki | 1.585 |
18 | Karel Abraham | Honda | 1.676 |
19 | Loris Baz | Yamaha Forward | 1.768 |
20 | Eugene Laverty | Honda | 1.922 |
21 | Jack Miller | Honda | 1.962 |
22 | Alvaro Bautista | Aprilia | 2.029 |
23 | Stefan Bradl | Yamaha Forward | 2.083 |
24 | Mike Di Meglio | Ducati | 2.584 |
25 | Alex de Angelis | ART | 3.268 |
26 | Marco Melandri | Aprilia | 4.623 |
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