MotoGP: Marc Marquez Fastest On Day One Of Argentine Grand Prix

Andrea Wilson | April 25, 2014
Marc Marquez fastest on the first day at the new Termas de Rio Hondo track in Argentina. Photography By Gold   Goose.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE

As MotoGP took to the track today for the free practice sessions at the Autodromo Termas De Rio Hondo in Argentina it was the same old Marc Marquez – ending the day on top.

Because Argentina is a brand-new GP track, the first session was a wash for most of the riders. Another problem was its fresh surface that is relatively devoid of grip which wreaked havoc on the Bridgestone Battlax slicks. So after laying down some rubber, FP2 saw much faster times and more serious efforts.

And no one illustrated that more than the leader on the Repsol Honda, as Marquez dropped nearly six seconds off his time in the afternoon session. Trailing Marquez by one second was his teammate Dani Pedrosa.

Third fastest was the Yamaha NGM Forward Racing entry ridden by Aleix Espargaro. LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl – one of the few riders present at the test last year – ended the day fourth.

Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso was able to finish fifth after his primary bike blew-up in rather spectacular fashion early on in the afternoon session.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammates Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro were sixth and seventh, respectively, for the day. Valentino Rossi led the charge for the Yamaha factory team in eighth. And while Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo set the fastest time in the morning session with a 1:42.804, he was only able to drop around 1.3 seconds in the afternoon, leaving him in ninth.

Pramac Ducati’s Andrea Iannone came back from a crash in turn five earlier in the session to round out the top-10.

Espargaro’s teammate Colin Edwards was the fastest American in 14th, with Nicky Hayden right behind him.

2014 Argentina MotoGP
Free Practice 2 Results
1. Marc Marquez (Honda) 1:39.313
2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1:40.396
3. Aleix Espargaro (Yamaha) 1:40.566
4. Stefan Bradl (Honda) 1:40.891
5. Andrea Dovisioso (Ducati) 1:41.042
6. Bradley Smith (Yamaha) 1:41.303
7. Pol Espargaro (Yamaha) 1:41.368
8. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1:41.395
9. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1:41.533
10. Andrea Iannone (Yamaha) 1:41.924

14. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 1:42.608
15. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1:42.739

Andrea Wilson | Associate Editor / Website Coordinator

Andrea has been shooting everything from flat track to road racing in her job as a professional freelance photographer, but she's made the move to a full-time staff position at Cycle News where her love of all things motorcycling will translate well. Wilson has proven her worth as more than a photographer as she migrates to the written word with everything from race coverage to interviews.