Dovizioso tops both Qatar Friday practice sessions

Dovizioso looks back at 100 mph
Dovizioso looks back at 100 mph

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) started his Grand Prix of Qatar in the best possible way, as the Italian ended Friday at the top of the timing screens, stunning his rivals with a lap time of 1.54.361 to put him just 0.006s ahead. It was the perfect test for race pace in the second session of 2018 for MotoGP, as bikes take to the track at the same time as the lights will go out for the race, putting the track conditions to the most realistic test.

Fellow Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) completed the day as top independent rider in second position, as he set his time with three minutes remaining only to be beaten by his compatriot. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was the first non-Ducati of the day, sitting 0.097s behind Dovizioso after a strong session for the Spanish rider, who led the way in the final ten minutes, as well as being the first rider to break into the 1.54 lap times.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) secured fourth position overall around the Losail International Circuit, his time of 1.54.831 was set following a busy start to his session with his Ducati machine causing sparks to fly on the home straight. Italian Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) wasn’t far behind his team-mate in fifth with a lap of 1.54.841, whilst reigning world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) ended the day in sixth position.

Honda’s Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) sits in eighth, and the second of the independents ahead of ninth placed Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who was unable to secure a fast lap time at the end of the session. Frenchman Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) rounds out the top ten on Friday in Qatar, with half a second splitting the men provisionally into Q2 on Saturday.

Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) had a difficult end to Friday in 11th position, ahead of compatriot Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) secured a top 13 finish on board his Ducati, with Australian Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) debuting in 14th position with his new team. Completing the top 15 is rookie Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), 1.333s off the fastest man of the day.

Practice 2 Times

POS RIDER BIKE TIME GAP LAPS
1 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1m54.361s 0.000s 17
2 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1m54.367s 0.006s 16
3 Alex Rins Suzuki 1m54.458s 0.097s 19
4 Jorge Lorenzo Ducati 1m54.831s 0.470s 16
5 Andrea Iannone Suzuki 1m54.841s 0.480s 20
6 Marc Marquez Honda 1m54.850s 0.489s 17
7 Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m54.851s 0.490s 18
8 Cal Crutchlow Honda 1m54.852s 0.491s 16
9 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m54.853s 0.492s 17
10 Johann Zarco Yamaha 1m54.912s 0.551s 18
11 Maverick Vinales Yamaha 1m55.195s 0.834s 16
12 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1m55.236s 0.875s 16
13 Tito Rabat Ducati 1m55.308s 0.947s 18
14 Jack Miller Ducati 1m55.360s 0.999s 16
15 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1m55.694s 1.333s 19
16 Scott Redding Aprilia 1m55.718s 1.357s 14
17 Pol Espargaro KTM 1m55.919s 1.558s 14
18 Franco Morbidelli Honda 1m55.965s 1.604s 17
19 Thomas Luthi Honda 1m56.242s 1.881s 16
20 Bradley Smith KTM 1m56.260s 1.899s 16
21 Karel Abraham Ducati 1m56.394s 2.033s 17
22 Hafizh Syahrin Yamaha 1m56.454s 2.093s 17
23 Alvaro Bautista Ducati 1m56.990s 2.629s 14
24 Xavier Simeon Ducati 1m57.765s 3.404s 15

Practice 1 Times

POS RIDER BIKE TIME GAP LAPS
1 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1m55.366s 0.000s 14
2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m55.427s 0.061s 18
3 Marc Marquez Honda 1m55.743s 0.377s 18
4 Andrea Iannone Suzuki 1m55.816s 0.450s 17
5 Jorge Lorenzo Ducati 1m55.888s 0.522s 16
6 Johann Zarco Yamaha 1m55.943s 0.577s 16
7 Cal Crutchlow Honda 1m55.989s 0.623s 16
8 Alex Rins Suzuki 1m55.997s 0.631s 17
9 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1m56.076s 0.710s 16
10 Tito Rabat Ducati 1m56.111s 0.745s 17
11 Maverick Vinales Yamaha 1m56.130s 0.764s 19
12 Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m56.265s 0.899s 17
13 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1m56.313s 0.947s 14
14 Alvaro Bautista Ducati 1m56.528s 1.162s 14
15 Hafizh Syahrin Yamaha 1m56.544s 1.178s 17
16 Jack Miller Ducati 1m56.680s 1.314s 17
17 Pol Espargaro KTM 1m56.999s 1.633s 16
18 Scott Redding Aprilia 1m57.115s 1.749s 15
19 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1m57.183s 1.817s 18
20 Thomas Luthi Honda 1m57.211s 1.845s 14
21 Franco Morbidelli Honda 1m57.273s 1.907s 15
22 Bradley Smith KTM 1m57.389s 2.023s 18
23 Xavier Simeon Ducati 1m59.151s 3.785s 16
24 Karel Abraham Ducati 1m59.462s 4.096s 9