MotoGP Rio Hondo: Aleix Espargaro fastest again for Suzuki

Espargaro had given Suzuki the first session-leading result of its MotoGP comeback in the morning, and suggested that was not just a fluke in dirty track conditions as he led the afternoon too.

The Suzuki's best lap of 1m38.776s came on the medium tyre available to teams with concessions, as did second-placed Andrea Iannone's time on the Ducati.

Marc Marquez was the leading runner on hard tyres in third place for Honda, six tenths down on Espargaro.

Cal Crutchlow used the extra-hard tyre to go fourth on the LCR Honda, with a lap that could have been better still had he not encountered the slower bike of Alex de Angelis in the final sector.

The second Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso completed the top five.

Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were only sixth and ninth respectively.

They were split by the Tech 3 Yamaha of Pol Espargaro and Marc VDS Honda's Scott Redding, who spent a while in first place with a rapid late lap on extra-hards.

The final top 10 place went to Yonny Hernandez on the Pramac Ducati.

A brief rain shower threatened to spoil the session halfway through, but the rain passed without ever amounting to more than light drizzle.

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