Marquez stays top despite incidents, Lorenzo finds form in practice

Marquez had set the pace at Termas de Rio Hondo on Friday, as Hondas occupied four of the top five places.

Track conditions improved significantly on Saturday and faster laptimes duly followed, with Marquez improving on his overnight benchmark by nearly seventh tenths early on, despite running off the road at Turn 5.

He improved a further three times, eventually setting a 1m40.368s.

When Marquez fell at Turn 1 with seven minutes remaining, he was sixth tenths clear at the top of the field.

Almost immediately and over consecutive laps, Lorenzo closed that margin to 0.128 seconds and then just 0.024s.

While that was how it stayed - despite the Yamaha rider setting fastest first and second sectors on two later occasions - it marks a major improvement for Lorenzo after he was a troubled 14th on Friday afternoon.

Marquez returned to the circuit in the closing minutes, but repeated his earlier trip off the road at Turn 5, as he visibly hustled the Honda.

Having, like Lorenzo, struggled on Friday, Ducati's Andrea Iannone was third, ahead of satellite Avintia rider Hector Barbera, who vaulted up to fourth after the chequered flag.

Suzuki's Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro in fifth and seventh were split by Dani Pedrosa, while Cal Crutchlow was eighth and Andrea Dovizioso ninth.

Valentino Rossi in 10th was the final rider to book a guaranteed spot in the second phase of qualifying.

The Yamaha rider made it by just 0.044s over Jack Miller, the Australian having been on the bubble when the chequered flag was shown, but ultimately knocked out by Barbera.

Standing in for injured Pramac rider Danilo Petrucci, Michele Pirro impressed in his first action of the weekend.

Pirro missed Friday's sessions as he travelled to Argentina from a Ducati test at Valencia, and wound up 15th and ahead of team-mate Scott Redding, having been ninth entering the final minutes.

PRACTICE THREE TIMES