MotoGP: Rossi fastest on new Indy layout

Valentino Rossi led the way as the MotoGP field got acclimated to the revised Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in Friday morning practice.This weekend's grand prix is MotoGP's first appearance at the track since it was reconfigured for IndyCar's debut on the IMS infield circuit in May. Times were immediately much quicker than had been the case on the previous, tighter, layout, with Rossi's benchmark 1min34.535sec on his Yamaha 3.4 seconds up on the 2013 pole and 6.2sec quicker than the best opening practice time 12 months ago.Rossi emerged on top after a late exchange of positions with Italian compatriot Andrea Iannone's Pramac Ducati. Iannone, who will replace Cal Crutchlow in the works Ducati line-up next year, beat Rossi's previous time by two tenths in the final minutes. But Rossi responded and went 0.044s quicker than Iannone, before Bradley Smith stuck his Tech 3 Yamaha between the two Italians with a lap 0.034s off Rossi.Championship leader Marc Marquez was back in fifth, 0.350s off the pace and behind Smith's team-mate Pol Espargaro. Marquez had led much of the session by a comfortable margin before Rossi demoted him going into the last five minutes, kicking off a run of late improvements. Jorge Lorenzo was sixth, ahead of Scott Redding on Gresini's production Honda.Another underdog to fly was local favorite Colin Edwards, who got as high as fourth late on before being pushed down to 11th. With Edwards retiring after 2014, this weekend will be his last home race, and rumors continue that he will call a halt to his farewell season early.

Edwards is the only American in the field this weekend as Nicky Hayden has been sidelined by surgery on an old arm injury. Hayden's replacement Leon Camier was at the tail of the field as he settled in on the Aspar Honda.

Originally on Autosport.com