It was very warm and sunny for MotoGPs first free practice at the Sachsenring circuit and Dani Pedrosalead a Repsol Honda 1-2 in the session, pipping his team mate Casey Stoner for the top of the timesheets by a mere 0.
087s using the softer tire option.
Jorge Lorenzo doesn’t seem to be suffering too much from his foot ligament injury sustained at Assen after Alvaro Bautista took him out at the first turn (even if he is moving around on crutches) as he was third and a little less than three tenths from the Honda duo.
However the session was marred by an accident in the pitlane as Mattia Pasini crashed while trying to avoid an Cardion AB mechanic who ran across the lane.
The mechanic was okay, but the Italian rider was very shook up and groaning after hitting his head, and had to checked out at the medical center.
Pasini’s incident brought immediately to mind Noboyuki Wakai horrific fatal pitlane crash during the 1993 250cc GP at Jerez when he hit Fabio Ravaioli, a spectator who had sneaked into the pit lane area.
Yamaha Tech3 duo Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow were fourth and fifth respectively and adrift by 0″565 and 0″724.
The first Ducati on the timesheet was Hector Barbera who brought his GP12 satellite machine into an impressive 6th in his last flying lap ahead of Ducati factory rider Nicky Hayden.
Alvaro Bautista who will have to take off from the back of the grid after being penalized for the Assen crash was 8th and home boy Stefan Bradlwas ninth with Ben Spies closing out the top ten and he was the last rider to withing a second from Pedrosa.
Valentino Rossi was again the slowest Ducati rider (except for Franco Battaini who is replacing injured Karel Abraham, he was 18th) in 11th and he was 1″124 off pace and just seven tenths slower from CRT rider Randy de Puniet.
Michele Pirro who turned 26 yesterday was 14th.
MotoGP Sachsenring FP1 results:01- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 1’22.
357 02- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.
087 03- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
290 04- Andrea Dovizioso – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
565 05- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
724 06- Hector Barbera – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 0.
734 07- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 0.
735 08- Alvaro Bautista – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 0.
846 09- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 0.
949 10- Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
996 11- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1.
124 12- Randy De Puniet – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP12 – + 1.
853 13- Colin Edwards – NGM Mobile Forward Racing – Suter BMW – + 2.
203 14- Michele Pirro – San Carlo Honda Gresini – FTR Honda – + 2.
302 15- Yonny Hernandez – Avintia Blusens – BQR MotoGP – + 2.
429 16- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP12 – + 2.
49817- Ivan Silva – Avintia Blusens – BQR MotoGP – + 3.
155 18- Franco Battaini – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 3.
289 19- Mattia Pasini – Speed Master Team – ART GP12 – + 3.
482 20- Danilo Petrucci – CAME Iodaracing Project – Ioda TR003 – + 3.
60121- James Ellison – Paul Bird Motorsport – ART GP12 – + 3.
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