After yesterday’s MotoGP’s two very tight practice sessions, this morning’s third free practice at Le Mans, the situation was very different, and the weather had nothing to do with it as it was sunny and dry.
Marc Marquez took the top of the timesheets in a dominating manner.
The MotoGP rookie in the finale posted two stunning laps under the 1.
34 mark – and the only rider to do so – and stopped the clock in 1.
33.
600, breaking the 2011 circuit record by 0.
017s.
The record had been held by his team mate Dani Pedrosa, who ended up third fastest in the session, but almost six tenths adrift.
Jorge Lorenzo was the only rider able to barely contain the gap to the enthusiastic rookie to less than half a second, as he was 0.
499s adrift.
Team mate Valentino Rossi took a huge step backwards after yesterday’s so called ‘breakthrough’.
The Italian fell back to 9th and accumulating a gap of more than 1.
214.
Le Mans may not be Nicky Hayden’s favorite circuit but this morning he was fourth fastest and ahead of Cal Crutchlow, and his Ducati team mate Andrea Iannone and a surprisingly excellent Bradley Smith who 7th fastest and less than a second from Marquez.
Ahead Rossi as we said who was a lowly 9th, was Alvaro Bautista in 8th.
The Gresini rider suffered a huge crash at the Chicane under the Dunlop bridge, but seemed not to have suffered any serious injuries.
Yonny Hernandez and Hector Barbera also crashed during the session.
The last rider to go directly to the Q2 was Stefan Bradl, another rider who like Rossi was unable to improve which left him down on the timesheets.
2013 MotoGP Le Mans FP3 results:01- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 1’33.
600 02- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
499 03- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.
582 04- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 0.
826 05- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
867 06- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 0.
876 07- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
997 08- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 1.
186 09- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
214 10- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 1.
390 11- Randy De Puniet – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 1.
522 12- Andrea Iannone – Energy T.
I.
Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1.
643 13- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 1.
907 14- Hector Barbera – Avintia Blusens – BQR FTR – + 1.
965 15- Michele Pirro – Ignite Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1.
992 16- Claudio Corti – NGM Mobile Forward Racing – FTR Kawasaki – + 2.
665 17- Danilo Petrucci – CAME Iodaracing Project – Ioda Suter BMW – + 2.
679 18- Colin Edwards – NGM Mobile Forward Racing – FTR Kawasaki – + 3.
058 19- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – ART GP13 – + 3.
184 20- Hiroshi Aoyama – Avintia Blusens – BQR FTR – + 3.
266 21- Yonny Hernandez – Paul Bird Motorsport – ART GP13 – + 3.
551 22- Bryan Staring – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – FTR Honda MGP13 – + 3.
776 23- Lukas Pesek – CAME Iodaracing Project – Ioda Suter BMW – + 4.
093 24- Michael Laverty – Paul Bird Motorsport – PBM 01 – + 4.
213