Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) finishes Day 1 at the PTT Thailand Grand Prix top of the combined timesheets. Dovizioso set a 1:31.090 to go 0.031 faster than FP1’s quickest rider Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha), second overall. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completed the top three split by a 0.043.
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) suffered a huge crash.
The Spaniard entered the corner and his GP18’s engine seemed to have an issue. It caused Lorenzo to launch over the top of the bike. He landed heavily on his already injured right foot. The Ducati machine suffered severe damage.
The five-time World Champion was carried off on a stretcher and headed to the medical centre for a checkup, before heading to the hospital for further examinations. Thankfully, the Ducati man is declared fit.
Xavier Simeon (Reale Avintia Racing) crashed at Turn 3 shortly after Lorenzo’s crash. The Red Flags were out with just 12 minutes left of the session to clear the debris. After all was clear, the rest of the field came back out to put in a quicker times on fresh rubber.
Viñales was the first man to oust Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) from P1 after the latter had led the entire session before Dovi and Crutchlow followed suit. Crutchlow improves from P11 in FP1 to end the day as the fastest Honda. Marquez ends the day in P4 – 0.098 the gap between the leading quartet.
Fifth on the combined timesheets was Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing). He finished 0.050 behind Marquez to improve from P9 in FP1. With Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) a further 0.018 behind in sixth despite a fast crash at Turn 4 in FP2.
Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) managed to string a strong second Free Practice session together to end the day seventh fastest. It was a big improvement from the Spaniard’s P16 result in FP1.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) ends the opening day in Thailand as the eighth quickest rider. However he improved from P13 in the morning to finish just 0.295 from Dovi’s P1 time. Behind the Spaniard was FP1’s second quickest man Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha).
The Doctor sits in a provisional Q2 place in 9th. He sported Yamaha’s new fairing.
Fellow YZR-M1 rider Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) leaving it late to grab tenth – 0.023 off Rossi and 0.331 behind Dovizioso in a tight top ten.
Full results from the 2nd practice
