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Qatar MotoGP: Aleix Espargaro sets new benchmark in second practice

Aleix Espargaro maintained his remarkable start to the 2014 season by once again heading the field in second practice for the Qatar Grand Prix

The 24-year-old, who went fastest in yesterday's first session, once again spent the majority of the session at the top of the timesheets.

While his halfway mark would not be beaten, he ended the session in emphatic style by breaking through the 1m55s barrier for the first time this weekend.

Espargaro ready to take on Factory outfits for outright win

That left him three tenths clear of Andrea Dovizioso and Alvaro Bautista, and little more than two tenths of a second off Jorge Lorenzo's 2013 pole time.

The latter Spaniard once again struggled, and could be seen frequently complaining about his bike's traction - an issue that has plagued the two-time champion throughout the pre-season.

He ended the session 11th overall, two spots behind team-mate Rossi, and more than one second off the outright pace.

MotoGP 2014: The key storylines

Honda's Factory duo fared better, with Dani Pedrosa fourth and Marc Marquez - who had to save one near-fall - fifth.

Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro secured sixth and eighth respectively for the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha outfit, sandwiching LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl.

The younger Espargaro suffered a nasty fall exiting Turn 9, but was able to return immediately on his second bike and even briefly held top spot, before falling down the order as other improved.

Both Aleix Espargaro and Dovizioso set their fastest times on the soft compound unavailable to Factory entries.

While that tyre's impact will be limited in the race - it falls away after a handful of laps - it suggests the non-Factory squads have a genuine chance of pole in qualifying on Saturday.

Pos Rider             Team                     Time       Gap     Laps
 1. Aleix Espargaro   Forward Yamaha           1m54.989s           13
 2. Andrea Dovizioso  Ducati                   1m55.320s  +0.331s  16
 3. Alvaro Bautista   Gresini Honda            1m55.446s  +0.457s  17
 4. Dani Pedrosa      Honda                    1m55.562s  +0.573s  18
 5. Marc Marquez      Honda                    1m55.607s  +0.618s  16
 6. Bradley Smith     Tech 3 Yamaha            1m55.650s  +0.661s  18
 7. Stefan Bradl      LCR Honda                1m55.856s  +0.867s  17
 8. Pol Espargaro     Tech 3 Yamaha            1m55.913s  +0.924s  15
 9. Valentino Rossi   Yamaha                   1m55.984s  +0.995s  18
10. Andrea Iannone    Pramac Ducati            1m56.006s  +1.017s  17
11. Jorge Lorenzo     Yamaha                   1m56.172s  +1.183s  17
12. Colin Edwards     Forward Yamaha           1m56.238s  +1.249s  16
13. Cal Crutchlow     Ducati                   1m56.720s  +1.731s  16
14. Nicky Hayden      Aspar Honda              1m57.006s  +2.017s  14
15. Yonny Hernandez   Pramac Ducati            1m57.119s  +2.130s  14
16. Scott Redding     Gresini Honda            1m57.296s  +2.307s  15
17. Karel Abraham     Cardion Honda            1m57.368s  +2.379s  13
18. Hiroshi Aoyama    Aspar Honda              1m57.634s  +2.645s  19
19. Hector Barbera    Avintia FTR-Kawasaki     1m58.290s  +3.301s  12
20. Mike di Meglio    Avintia FTR-Kawasaki     1m58.410s  +3.421s  13
21. Broc Parkes       PBM Aprilia              1m58.436s  +3.447s  12
22. Danilo Petrucci   Ioda Aprilia             1m59.078s  +4.089s  15
23. Michael Laverty   PBM Aprilia              1m59.646s  +4.657s  10

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