Michael Scott | June 23, 2017
2017 Assen MotoGP Practice Update – Championship leader Maverick Vinales seized the high ground in what could be a pivotal first day of practice for Sunday’s Dutch TT at Assen, today, Friday, June 23, speeding up again at the end of the afternoon’s 45-minute FP2 session to underline his place at the top of the time-sheet.
2017 Assen MotoGP Practice Update
With rain forecast for tomorrow, and times from the first three free practice sessions deciding who will go straight into Q2, deciding the top 12 grid places, today’s times are highly likely to be the determining factor. The 10-best times plus the two fastest riders in Q1 are eligible for Q2.
Spots of rain threatened all three classes today at the northernmost venue of the season, but the track remained dry. With good grip, the Yamahas were back in action, but not alone up front.
While independent-team rider Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha) was second to Movistar Yamaha’s Vinales, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) was third, and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati)—winner of the last two races—a close fourth, less than a 10th down on the provisional front row.
2017 Assen MotoGP Practice Update
Independent-team rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) had led briefly, but ended up fifth.
Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) had been languishing out of the top 10, but a late sprint put him sixth-fastest, just two thousandths of a second off Crutchlow’s time, while the leader of the morning’s FP1, Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati), was seventh.
Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha), Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Ducati) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) completed the potentially important top ten.
Out of the group was not only last year’s winner Jack Miller (EG-VDS Honda), placed 12th, but also multi-champion Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati), 14th.
This left both factory Suzukis trailing, Iannone 17th and the returning Rins 19th.
“Today‘s sessions were good,” Vinales said. “We wanted to compare the tires and do many laps, especially on the soft to see if they are good to last the whole race. Whether they have good potential I don‘t know yet, we have to see tomorrow. We will see in FP4, when we‘re going to be more hot, which spec will be a good tire for the race. I feel good, this is a track I like. The bike is working good and already from this morning we had a good set-up for this afternoon. We gained a lot of good information for tomorrow, especially for qualifying. We are trying and discussing the chassis, but as I always say: when we have grip, the bike is really nice to ride. Today it was easy to ride and control, and it was nice to feel good again.”
2017 Assen MotoGP Practice Update
Title leader Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Kalex) moved up on the afternoon to take over the time sheets in Moto2, with his challenging teammate Alex Marquez (Marc’s younger brother) just over three tenths slower, but three places away in fourth.
In between the pair were the Kalexes of Taka Nakagami and title challenger Tom Luthi.
Times in the middle class were close, with the first 18 within a second of Morbidelli. Axel Pons (Kalex) was fifth fastest, then some machine variety, with Miguel Oliveira (KTM) next, then Dominique Aegerter (Suter) and Xavier Vierge (Tech 3).
2017 Assen MotoGP Practice Update
Honda’s domination of Moto3 continued, taking eight of the top 10 positions, including the first four.
Perennial pole starter Jorge Martin (Del Conca Honda) was fastest, but the Spaniard has yet to win a race. Aron Canet (EG Honda) and points leader Joan Mir (Leopard Honda) were next, then second Del Conca rider Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Marcos Ramirez was the top KTM in fifth, then the Hondas of Enea Bastianini, rookie Ayumu Sasaki and veteran Romano Fenati slotted in ahead of the morning leader Philipp Oettl (KTM). Jules Danilo (Honda) was 10th.