Argentina MotoGP: Espargaro puts Suzuki on top in first practice
Suzuki led a session for the first time since its return to MotoGP as Aleix Espargaro set the practice one pace at Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina
The usual order was thoroughly shuffled on the still relatively dirty track, with some riders pushing harder than others in the conditions.
Both Suzukis had turns on top; Espargaro's rookie team-mate Maverick Vinales enjoying a spell in first place too before slipping back to seventh.
Three Ducatis followed Espargaro - factory Desmosedici riders Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso taking second and third ahead of Pramac man Yonny Hernandez, whose best lap came as he got a very, very close tow from Bradley Smith.
Iannone's session had begun badly as he had to park his primary bike at the trackside just minutes into the morning with smoke billowing from it. He was soon back out on his spare.
The leading Hondas were Scott Redding's factory-spec Marc VDS example in fifth and Nicky Hayden's production-spec Aspar version in seventh.
Marc Marquez set the pace for a while but ended up 10th, behind Avintia Ducati rider Mike di Meglio and rookie Jack Miller's LCR Honda.
Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo had quiet sessions in 14th and 20th.
Aprilia also starred in the unusual pecking order. Alvaro Bautista was 11th fastest and his team-mate Marco Melandri recovered from an early crash to pop up in the top 10 for a while.
Melandri ultimately drifted back to 19th, but it was still the first time he had been off the bottom of the timesheets in a dry session since coming back to MotoGP.
PRACTICE ONE TIMES:
| Pos | Rider | Team | Bike | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleix Espargaro | Suzuki | Suzuki | 1m40.806s | - | 16 |
| 2 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | Ducati | 1m41.379s | 0.573s | 15 |
| 3 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | Ducati | 1m41.527s | 0.721s | 17 |
| 4 | Yonny Hernandez | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1m41.785s | 0.979s | 17 |
| 5 | Scott Redding | Marc VDS | Honda | 1m41.884s | 1.078s | 15 |
| 6 | Nicky Hayden | Aspar | Honda | 1m41.932s | 1.126s | 15 |
| 7 | Maverick Vinales | Suzuki | Suzuki | 1m42.174s | 1.368s | 16 |
| 8 | Mike Di Meglio | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1m42.246s | 1.440s | 13 |
| 9 | Jack Miller | LCR | Honda | 1m42.391s | 1.585s | 18 |
| 10 | Marc Marquez | Honda | Honda | 1m42.605s | 1.799s | 14 |
| 11 | Alvaro Bautista | Aprilia Gresini | Aprilia | 1m42.828s | 2.022s | 16 |
| 12 | Hector Barbera | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1m43.297s | 2.491s | 15 |
| 13 | Alex de Angelis | IodaRacing Project | ART/Aprilia | 1m43.330s | 2.524s | 16 |
| 14 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | Yamaha | 1m43.373s | 2.567s | 15 |
| 15 | Pol Espargaro | Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1m43.390s | 2.584s | 16 |
| 16 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR | Honda | 1m43.891s | 3.085s | 15 |
| 17 | Danilo Petrucci | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1m44.300s | 3.494s | 18 |
| 18 | Eugene Laverty | Aspar | Honda | 1m44.313s | 3.507s | 19 |
| 19 | Marco Melandri | Aprilia Gresini | Aprilia | 1m44.572s | 3.766s | 14 |
| 20 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | Yamaha | 1m44.750s | 3.944s | 14 |
| 21 | Karel Abraham | AB Motoracing | Honda | 1m45.001s | 4.195s | 15 |
| 22 | Bradley Smith | Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1m45.237s | 4.431s | 17 |
| 23 | Hiroshi Aoyama | Honda | Honda | 1m45.688s | 4.882s | 18 |
| 24 | Stefan Bradl | Forward Racing | Yamaha Forward | 1m45.747s | 4.941s | 16 |
| 25 | Loris Baz | Forward Racing | Yamaha Forward | 1m46.239s | 5.433s | 16 |
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