MotoGP testing: Yamaha's Vinales fastest on second Qatar test day
Yamaha's Maverick Vinales finished the second day of MotoGP testing in Qatar fastest, with team-mate Valentino Rossi and satellite rider Jonas Folger completing a top three lockout for the manufacturer


Vinales, who also recorded fastest times at the Sepang and Phillip Island pre-season tests, jumped to the top of the times ahead of early leader Marc Marquez with around half of the session completed.
The Spaniard later lowered his own benchmark to a session-best of 1m54.455s - that effort eclipsing Andrea Dovizioso's fastest time from Friday's session by nearly four tenths.
Rossi crashed early in the session, but returned to action and ended up 0.277 seconds off his team-mate's pace, with Folger making up the top three as the only other rider to lap the circuit under the 1m55s barrier.
Folger, who will make his MotoGP debut with Yamaha privateer team Tech 3 this year, continued his impressive showing with third - having run second before being demoted by Rossi.
LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow was best of the rest in fourth, the Briton missing out on a chance to improve during the final hour after crashing at the end of one of his flying laps.
Aleix Espargaro, another rider to fall, brought his Aprilia into the top five ahead of early pacesetter Marquez - who did not improve on his earlier benchmark time of 1m55.196s on his Honda.
Alvaro Bautista (Aspar) was the fastest Ducati in seventh, beating factory rider Jorge Lorenzo by less than a tenth.
Day one pacesetter Dovizioso, who tried Ducati's new fairing during the day, was 13th-fastest.
KTM had a second low-key session in as many days, with its three riders ending up in the final three spots in the classification.

Ducati reveals radical new fairing for its 2017 MotoGP bike
MotoGP testing: Vinales tops final pre-season test, Marquez crashes

Latest news
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season are being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
Marc Marquez to return to MotoGP paddock at Austrian GP for Honda progress update
Marc Marquez will return to the MotoGP paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix to check up on Honda’s progress as he continues his own rehabilitation.
Rins “destroyed” after “not normal” grip issues end Silverstone MotoGP win hopes
Suzuki’s Alex Rins says he was “destroyed” after a “not normal” drop in grip shuffled him from the lead of the MotoGP British Grand Prix to seventh by the end.
Espargaro diagnosed with heel fracture after 115mph Silverstone MotoGP crash
Aprilia has confirmed Aleix Espargaro, following further medical checks on Monday, has been diagnosed with a heel fracture following his violent 115mph Silverstone MotoGP crash.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special