Practice report
MotoGP Valencia GP
Valencia MotoGP: Petrucci quickest in second practice
Pramac Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci topped the second wet-weather practice session of the MotoGP season finale in Valencia.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Edited: Nov 16, 2018, 2:17 PM
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Petrucci led FP1 pace-setter Marc Marquez, with only the champion and third-placed Valentino Rossi fitting in within a second of the session leader.
Tech 3's Johann Zarco took the early lead – with a lap some eight seconds off FP1 pace – and was on course to lower the benchmark when he threw his satellite Yamaha into the gravel at the sharp Turn 12 right-hander.
The crash ripped the left winglet off his YZR-M1, leaving the appendage in pieces on the racing line, which coupled with worsening track conditions prompted a 10-minute red-flag stoppage.
Suzuki ace Alex Rins had taken the lead by then, but times began to drop rapidly once track action resumed, with Petrucci, Marquez and Rossi taking turns out front.
At the halfway mark, with the latter two already in the pits, Petrucci leapfrogged Marquez with the new benchmark of 1m41.318s.
And with track conditions having peaked, this was enough to keep Italian top at the chequered flag.
As laptimes in the afternoon fell well short of FP1, Rossi remains outside of the combined practice top 10 despite placing third in FP2 - meaning he will be forced to fight through Q1 if he can't improve in Saturday morning practice.
Andrea Iannone took fourth place in the session, followed by the Espargaro brothers, Aleix ahead of Pol.
Yamaha's Rossi's works teammate Maverick Vinales was seventh, ahead of Scott Redding and Bradley Smith – the pair making it two Aprilias and two KTMs in the top nine.
Rins ended up 10th, one place ahead of Avintia Ducati's Xavier Simeon, who had been to hospital after suffering a suspected concussion in FP1 but was back on the bike in the afternoon.
The Belgian had crashed again here, sliding off at Turn 12, while Cal Crutchlow's LCR Honda stand-in Stefan Bradl went off at the same corner a couple of minutes later.
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso had a quiet session in 12th but remains on course to make Q2, whereas teammate Jorge Lorenzo, recovering from injury, was 15th and is facing Q1.
Session results
Cla # Rider Bike Laps Time Gap 1 9 
Danilo Petrucci Ducati 14 1'41.318 2 93 
Marc Marquez Honda 21 1'41.725 0.407 3 46 
Valentino Rossi Yamaha 16 1'42.081 0.763 4 29 Andrea Iannone Suzuki 14 1'42.365 1.047 5 41 
Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 7 1'42.385 1.067 6 44 
Pol Espargaro KTM 14 1'42.655 1.337 7 25 
Maverick Viñales Yamaha 20 1'42.746 1.428 8 45 
Scott Redding Aprilia 18 1'42.857 1.539 9 38 
Bradley Smith KTM 17 1'43.009 1.691 10 42 Alex Rins Suzuki 20 1'43.051 1.733 11 10 
Xavier Simeon Ducati 5 1'43.113 1.795 12 4 
Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 21 1'43.250 1.932 13 43 
Jack Miller Ducati 5 1'43.409 2.091 14 55 
Hafizh Syahrin Yamaha 21 1'43.727 2.409 15 99 
Jorge Lorenzo Ducati 13 1'43.798 2.480 16 19 
Alvaro Bautista Ducati 17 1'43.844 2.526 17 30 
Takaaki Nakagami Honda 22 1'43.846 2.528 18 21 
Franco Morbidelli Honda 19 1'43.854 2.536 19 12 
Thomas Luthi Honda 15 1'43.858 2.540 20 5 
Johann Zarco Yamaha 8 1'44.261 2.943 21 51 Michele Pirro Ducati 14 1'44.681 3.363 22 6 
Stefan Bradl Honda 3 1'44.732 3.414 23 17 
Karel Abraham Ducati 6 1'45.260 3.942 24 26 
Dani Pedrosa Honda 5 1'45.401 4.083 25 81 Jordi Torres Ducati 16 1'45.975 4.657
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