MotoGP: First Practice Session at Brno; Jorge Lorenzo on top, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi follow
MotoGP resumes in Brno, for the Czech Republic Grand Prix, after a three week summer break. Jorge Lorenzo continued his exceptional form in the first half of the season during the first practice session (on Friday) in Brno. The Spaniard was over half a second faster than the rest of the field, while Dani Pedrosa was second and Valentino Rossi third.
Jorge Lorenzo came into this race with a healthy lead of 72 points in the championship standing. He has shown an exceptional form by winning six of the first nine races. Also, he stood second in the remaining three races. A similar result in Brno would help the Spaniard equal a 62 years old record, i.e. finishing first ten races in the first two positions. Therefore, Lorenzo was not taking any risks, as he drove with extreme caution and concentration. He was the quickest of all the riders, with the best lap of 1’57.215. Also, he remained quickest throughout the session, registering one fastest lap after another.
The closest rider to Lorenzo was Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa was close to a fine finish to his first half, as he won the race at Sachsenring while he was leading again at Laguna Seca. However, a small unforced error resulted in a crash, which proved fatal for the Spaniard in his title challenge. Still, there is a lot to play for and Pedrosa is ready to take on any challenge in the second half of the season. However, he was again behind the current leader, with a difference of 0.541 seconds. However, Pedrosa’s fans need not worry about anything, because Pedrosa did not get a chance to challenge Lorenzo, as the practice session was hampered by rain in the last 15 minutes.
Behind Pedrosa, with a difference of six-hundredths of a second, was Lorenzo’s teammate and current champion, Valentino Rossi. Rossi was originally scheduled to make his comeback (following a displaced compound fracture of his right tibia at the GP at Mugello) during this race, but he has already participated in the last two races; he made his return in the German Grand Prix. This time, he feels stronger and more prepared for a win in Brno, as he seems to be over his injuries. During the practice session, Rossi seemed to hold back a little, as he was trying to get a feel of the track. There is no doubt that he had the pace, which he would exhibit during the qualifying session and the race on Sunday. With Rossi in the top three, FIAT Yamaha has re-established their supremacy in this season, like they had been enjoying before the Rossi’s accident.
Andrea Dovizioso is currently third in the overall standings, but he seems to be struggling towards the end of the first half. However, he was in good shape at Brno, where he finished in fourth position, ahead of Stoner, who is his main challenger for the third spot. Also, Dovizioso was the last rider who finished his best lap under 1’58 mark.
Although Casey Stoner looked in good shape in the last few races, his form was nowhere to be seen at Brno. On the other hand, his Ducati teammate and former champion, Nicky Hayden, stood fifth in the standings, with a difference of more than 1 second from Lorenzo. Colin Edwards was sixth, while Stoner and Marco Simoncelli finished the top eight positions. It was a great comeback for Simoncelli, who was the only rider to crash during the session. However, he remained safe and came back strongly to finish in the top eight.
Another rider under the spotlight was Randy de Puniet, who broke his leg after a crash in Sachsenring. However, he came back just after four weeks and finished in the 16th spot, with a difference of over 3 seconds from the leader.
The Qualifying session would be held on Saturday, while the race will start on Sunday. Before the ultimate showdown, riders have only a little time to make small adjustments, which would help them to improve a little bit. Also, team strategies would be important, as rain has become a possibility now.
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