2018 Malaysian MotoGP Friday Results
Alex Rins has shaken off his tendency to a slow start, seizing top slot in a busy close to the second free practice session for Sunday’s Malaysian GP for the first time in his second year on the factory Ecstar Suzuki.
2018 Malaysian MotoGP Friday Results
The rising Spaniard was a full second inside the race lap record, and only just over half-a-second slower than the all-out track record, set by Dani Pedrosa in 2015.
He lapped the 5.543-km Sepang circuit, near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport south of the capital, in 1m59.608, an average of 166.8 km/h; heading a close batch of times with 11 riders inside the same second.
After heavy overnight rain, showers disrupted the first day of free practice, but the premier class got away with it, the track dry for both sessions. More than ever, with the threat of tropical rain ever-present, today’s times were possibly crucial in determining the top ten going straight into Q2 tomorrow.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) was second, with a time set in the morning; 2018 champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) third in his afternoon run, less than a tenth down on Rins.
Marquez had at least four spectacular saves, picking the bike up on his knee and elbow after losing the front wheel. This is in line with his normal approach, of using the first day of practice to define the limit.
The Yamaha revival seemed to continue, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) coming through to take the lead on afternoon times during the 45-minute FP2. By the end he had been consigned to fourth on combined times, narrowly ahead of Alma Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller. Second factory Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales, winner of last weekend’s Australian GP, was sixth.
Miller’s team-mate Danilo Petrucci was seventh then Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha) and second Suzuki rider Andrea Iannone, less than nine tenths off his team-mate’s time.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) completed the top ten, less than three hundredths faster than former Sepang winner Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), who now faces the prospect of going through Q1, unless tomorrow morning offers a chance for improvement.
Alvaro Bautista, back on the Angel Nieto team Ducati GP17 after his factory-bike outing last weekend, was 12th. Jorge Lorenzo, resuming his factory Ducati seat, was 24th, and debating whether to continue (see News story).
There is one more timed free practice session tomorrow morning, before FP4 (which does not count towards qualifying) and two Q sessions in the afternoon.
The Malaysian GP is the penultimate round, and the third of three consecutive racing weekends.
SHELL MALAYSIA MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2 Classification 2018
Sepang, Friday, November 02, 2018
| 1 | 42 | Alex RINS | SPA | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 322.3 | 1’59.608 | |
| 2 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 323.8 | 1’59.701 | 0.093 / 0.093 |
| 3 | 43 | Jack MILLER | AUS | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati | 321.5 | 1’59.771 | 0.163 / 0.070 |
| 4 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | SPA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 321.4 | 1’59.802 | 0.194 / 0.031 |
| 5 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | ITA | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati | 324.6 | 1’59.811 | 0.203 / 0.009 |
| 6 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 321.2 | 2’00.017 | 0.409 / 0.206 |
| 7 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 326.3 | 2’00.091 | 0.483 / 0.074 |
| 8 | 5 | Johann ZARCO | FRA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 320.0 | 2’00.159 | 0.551 / 0.068 |
| 9 | 29 | Andrea IANNONE | ITA | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 320.7 | 2’00.502 | 0.894 / 0.343 |
| 10 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 324.3 | 2’00.579 | 0.971 / 0.077 |
| 11 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | JPN | LCR Honda IDEMITSU | Honda | 316.1 | 2’00.829 | 1.221 / 0.250 |
| 12 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 326.1 | 2’00.980 | 1.372 / 0.151 |
| 13 | 21 | Franco MORBIDELLI | ITA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 317.8 | 2’00.981 | 1.373 / 0.001 |
| 14 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARO | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 319.5 | 2’01.020 | 1.412 / 0.039 |
| 15 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | GBR | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 318.3 | 2’01.302 | 1.694 / 0.282 |
| 16 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | GER | LCR Honda CASTROL | Honda | 323.1 | 2’01.561 | 1.953 / 0.259 |
| 17 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 321.3 | 2’01.684 | 2.076 / 0.123 |
| 18 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | SWI | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 315.6 | 2’01.743 | 2.135 / 0.059 |
| 19 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 323.7 | 2’01.766 | 2.158 / 0.023 |
| 20 | 55 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | MAL | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 315.6 | 2’01.894 | 2.286 / 0.128 |
| 21 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | BEL | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 316.5 | 2’01.900 | 2.292 / 0.006 |
| 22 | 81 | Jordi TORRES | SPA | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 319.0 | 2’01.940 | 2.332 / 0.040 |
| 23 | 45 | Scott REDDING | GBR | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 316.9 | 2’02.338 | 2.730 / 0.398 |
| 24 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 317.2 | 2’04.636 | 5.028 / 2.298 |
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