Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha get back in front in second practice at Misano
Jorge Lorenzo put Yamaha back on top in the second free practice session at Misano
The reigning champion dominated the early part of the afternoon, setting a string of ever-faster laps that at one stage had him 1.1 seconds clear of his rivals.
But the Hondas closed in near the end, with first Dani Pedrosa getting within 0.3s, then championship leader and morning pacesetter Casey Stoner lapping just 0.076s shy of Lorenzo's 1m33.929s benchmark.
Pedrosa ended up third, with the works-spec Gresini Honda of Marco Simoncelli fourth.
Ben Spies and Andrea Dovizioso completed the top six on the second works Yamaha and third works Honda respectively.
Alvaro Bautisita continued Suzuki's steady improvement as he shrugged off an early engine blow-up to go seventh on his spare bike.
It was a less encouraging day for Valentino Rossi and Ducati, as the former champion's final push only got him up from 15th to 11th.
The fastest Ducati rider was Aspar man Hector Barbera in eighth, while Nicky Hayden was down in 13th on the second factory Desmosedici.
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time Gap 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m33.929s 2. Casey Stoner Honda 1m34.005s + 0.076s 3. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m34.205s + 0.276s 4. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda 1m34.444s + 0.515s 5. Ben Spies Yamaha 1m34.469s + 0.540s 6. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m34.989s + 1.060s 7. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m35.023s + 1.094s 8. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m35.111s + 1.182s 9. Hiroshi Aoyama Gresini Honda 1m35.282s + 1.353s 10. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m35.301s + 1.372s 11. Valentino Rossi Ducati 1m35.331s + 1.402s 12. Randy de Puniet Pramac Ducati 1m35.418s + 1.489s 13. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m35.419s + 1.490s 14. Karel Abraham Cardion Ducati 1m35.423s + 1.494s 15. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m35.622s + 1.693s 16. Loris Capirossi Pramac Ducati 1m35.826s + 1.897s 17. Toni Elias LCR Honda 1m36.196s + 2.267s
Share Or Save This Story
Hamilton accepts blame for incident with Albon in F1 Brazilian GP
Ferrari drivers called to F1 stewards over Brazilian GP collision
Will Alonso's Indy failure end the age of versatility?
How Lorenzo is pushing Vinales beyond his limits in MotoGP
The new role of MotoGP champion Lorenzo
Why a MotoGP legend needs to ditch social media and enjoy retirement
Is Red Bull better or worse off one year after Horner's sacking? Our writers have their say
Vinales: 'KTM sent me a contract, I signed it, and two weeks later they cancelled it'
One year on: How Red Bull changed post-Horner
How technical issues have cost Bagnaia 40 points in the MotoGP title fight
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments