Espargaro leads first Jerez practice

Aleix Espargaro posted the quickest time in opening MotoGP practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

The Forward Yamaha rider continued to shine on his Open class bike, setting the pace with a 1m39.357s. Spaniard Espargaro used Bridgestone's softest tire to outpace double champion Jorge Lorenzo, who was over three tenths slower on the works Yamaha.

World champion and current championship leader Marc Marquez was third quickest, albeit nearly half a second behind Espargaro. Marquez's Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi completed the top five.

Ducati's Cal Crutchlow returned to action following his hand injury and reported no problems during the session, meaning he is likely to continue riding during the weekend. The Briton finished down in 18th position.

That most significant incident of the session took place with less than five minutes to go, when Andrea Iannone crashed his Pramac Ducati at the first corner. He walked away seemingly unscathed.

Originally on Autosport.com