MOTOGP: Lorenzo leads dramatic Motegi practice

Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo finished second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi on top for Yamaha.

Lorenzo set his fastest time after the checkered flag to lead Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso, Suzuki's Maverick Vinales and championship leader Marc Marquez following a dramatic conclusion to the session.

Marquez started it all with six minutes to go, when he lost the front end of his Honda at the Turn 10 hairpin, staying with his bike and stopping in the middle of the track but able to remount and ride away. Moments later, his teammate Dani Pedrosa had a massive highside at Turn 11 and Aspar Ducati rider Eugene Laverty crashed heavily at the high-speed Turn 6.

Both riders were taken to the medical center for checks, Pedrosa wary of his right collarbone and Laverty conscious but initially on a stretcher, while Marc VDS Honda's Jack Miller than also crashed at Turn 3. Pedrosa was diagnosed with a fracture in his right collarbone.

Practice one pacesetter Dovizioso led the way into the closing stages with a time of 1m45.737s, 0.007 seconds clear of Marquez, who was fastest early. Dovizioso improved twice more on his final run, to a 1m45.489s and then 1m45.204s, but he did not finish on top of the order.

Vinales with a 1m45.248s was fastest when the checkered flag was shown, before Lorenzo recorded a 1m45.151s.

While Dovizioso's final effort was good enough for second, 0.053s slower than Lorenzo, Vinales lost three tenths in the last sector and did not improve, and he had to settle for third.

Marquez made it four different brands inside the top four, finishing ahead of LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow, Suzuki's Aleix Espargaro and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi in a top seven split by 0.381s.

Danilo Petrucci was eighth for Pramac Ducati, ahead of Pedrosa, Pol Espargaro and Aprilia pair Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista, with Espargaro and Bradl both coming unstuck in the first half of the session.

Laverty was 13th from Hector Barbera, on the second factory Ducati for the weekend in Andrea Iannone's absence.

Returning Tech3 Yamaha rider Bradley Smith remained 21st and 3.746s off the pace, while Mike Jones made steady progress during his first day on a MotoGP bike – Barbera's regular Avintia Ducati – a further 2.058s adrift.

SECOND PRACTICE RESULTS:

Originally on Autosport.com