Photo by Gold & Goose
No surprise in the name at the top of the timing sheets after the first two free practice sessions in Argentina, as Qatar winner Maverick Viñales led both of them on his Movistar Yamaha.
But surprises galore in the rest of the top ten, with several top riders hoping that forecasted rain tomorrow waits until FP3 has given them a chance to improve, and take their place in the second and senior qualifying session for Sunday’s second GP of the year.
Out of luck, both factory Ducatis (Jorge Lorenzo 18th!), Rossi and Pedrosa.
Viñales’s time reflected a track in better condition than it was on the first day last year, but still dirty and far from prime. He ran 1’39.477, some 1.8 seconds slower than Marquez’s pole last year.
Marquez (Repsol Honda) slotted into second, at 1’39.778, clearly trying hard after a crash in the morning.
There were four Ducatis filling to top six – all from satellite teams, all hoping for rain tomorrow morning.
Surprise third was the returned Karel Abraham; with Pull & Bear Aspar team-mate Alvaro Bautista fourth. Pramac Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci was fifth; Avintia Ducati’s Loris Baz sixth.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) was sixth; then top rookie Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha). Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) and Andrea Iannone (Suzuki) completed a potentially crucial top ten.
Then Scott Redding (Pramac Ducati), Qatar GP hero Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha) ahead of Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), who had a harmless but costly tumble in the afternoon.
Factory Ducati men Dovizioso and Lorenzo were 14th and 18th; Rossi 16th; with Aussie Jack Miller (VDS Honda) 17th.
Moto2’s second session came to a fruity climax with the lead changing hands several times, and the top 23 within a second. At the top of it, Qatar winner Franco Morbidelli (VDS Kalex), stamping his authority on erstwhile leader Marcel Schrotter, on the returned Suter chassis on Dynavolt colours.
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Kalex) nosed into third at the finish, pushing Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Kalex) to fourth. A third different chassis was the new KTM in fifth, ridden by Miguel Oliveira.
Remy Gardner (Mistral) was 17th.
Both Moto3 sessions were led by Qatar GP winner Joan Mir, his Leopard machine the best of six Hondas in the top ten. His time was 1.8 seconds off the track’s best-ever la, but more importantly better than half a second ahead of Romano Fenati’s Honda.
Nicolo Bulega (KTM) was third; then Qatar rostrum finisher John McPhee (Honda), with Niccolo Antonelli (KTM) completing the top five.
GRAN PREMIO MOTUL DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification 2017
| 1 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | SPA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 321.0 | 1’39.477 | |
| 2 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 318.2 | 1’39.778 | 0.301 / 0.301 |
| 3 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | Pull&Bear Aspar Team | Ducati | 322.7 | 1’39.880 | 0.403 / 0.102 |
| 4 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | Pull&Bear Aspar Team | Ducati | 327.7 | 1’39.922 | 0.445 / 0.042 |
| 5 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | ITA | OCTO Pramac Racing | Ducati | 321.5 | 1’39.960 | 0.483 / 0.038 |
| 6 | 76 | Loris BAZ | FRA | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 322.1 | 1’40.120 | 0.643 / 0.160 |
| 7 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | LCR Honda | Honda | 318.0 | 1’40.124 | 0.647 / 0.004 |
| 8 | 94 | Jonas FOLGER | GER | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 319.0 | 1’40.157 | 0.680 / 0.033 |
| 9 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 321.7 | 1’40.175 | 0.698 / 0.018 |
| 10 | 29 | Andrea IANNONE | ITA | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 318.4 | 1’40.250 | 0.773 / 0.075 |
| 11 | 45 | Scott REDDING | GBR | OCTO Pramac Racing | Ducati | 323.7 | 1’40.338 | 0.861 / 0.088 |
| 12 | 5 | Johann ZARCO | FRA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 319.5 | 1’40.340 | 0.863 / 0.002 |
| 13 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 319.6 | 1’40.345 | 0.868 / 0.005 |
| 14 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 329.3 | 1’40.399 | 0.922 / 0.054 |
| 15 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 326.4 | 1’40.431 | 0.954 / 0.032 |
| 16 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 321.9 | 1’40.531 | 1.054 / 0.100 |
| 17 | 43 | Jack MILLER | AUS | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 318.5 | 1’40.588 | 1.111 / 0.057 |
| 18 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 327.2 | 1’40.599 | 1.122 / 0.011 |
| 19 | 53 | Tito RABAT | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 319.9 | 1’40.908 | 1.431 / 0.309 |
| 20 | 42 | Alex RINS | SPA | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 317.8 | 1’41.083 | 1.606 / 0.175 |
| 21 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARO | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 318.5 | 1’41.632 | 2.155 / 0.549 |
| 22 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | GBR | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 316.6 | 1’42.074 | 2.597 / 0.442 |
| 23 | 22 | Sam LOWES | GBR | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 316.5 | 1’42.179 | 2.702 / 0.105 |
