Jerez MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa fastest in wet first Jerez practice

Light rain on Friday morning shaped the weekend's opening 45 minutes of running, but the balance of the first European event of the season is forecast to be dry.

Jorge Lorenzo was the first rider to dip below the 1m54s bracket, turning a 1m53.900s and then a 1m53.458s to lead the way in the early stages.

His Ducati team-mate Andrea Dovizioso then grabbed top spot, 15 minutes in, setting a 1m52.925s as rain started to fall again.

Pedrosa and Honda team-mate Marc Marquez took charge of proceedings mid-session, Pedrosa lowering the benchmark to 1m52.666s and then 1m52.308s, with Marquez lapping one tenth slower.

Rain had stopped falling by the time Tech3 Yamaha rookie Jonas Folger set a 1m52.249s entering the final 10 minutes.

That time lasted about five minutes on top before Marc VDS Honda's Jack Miller went four tenths faster with a 1m51.807s.

Another batch of rain arrived inside the final five minutes, as Pedrosa reclaimed top spot with a 1m51.648s.

That was not bettered even as other riders improved, with LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow getting closest by jumping up to second after the chequered flag.

Crutchlow was fastest of all through the first three sectors but lost just over one tenth in the final sector and fell 0.002 seconds shy.

Miller finished third, while Dovizioso also found time late to take fourth ahead of Marquez, breaking up what would have been an all-Honda top four.

Folger wound up sixth, ahead of Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci and Lorenzo.

Yamaha pair Maverick Vinales and championship leader Valentino Rossi had a quiet session, the pair down in 10th and 16th places.

Both KTM riders used its reconfigured engine, with Pol Espargaro in 14th finishing just ahead of Bradley Smith.

Standing in for injured rookie Alex Rins and making his MotoGP debut, Suzuki test rider Takuya Tsuda set the 21st-fastest time.

Avintia Ducati's Hector Barbera and Aspar Ducati's Karel Abraham, both nursing injuries, opted not to run.

PRACTICE ONE RESULTS: