Lorenzo makes upward surge for Free Practice 2 lead

Languishing in eleventh in Friday afternoon’s practice for the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, Jorge Lorenzo answered back on Saturday with the quickest time of the weekend to date. The Fiat Yamaha rider posted a 1’21.882 time on a dry track to boost his hopes of a strong result in Germany.

Lorenzo was the only rider to breach the 1’22 mark, trailed by previous leader Casey Stoner. Nearly four-tenths of a second separated the duo.

Laguna Seca racewinner Dani Pedrosa made a charge for the top spot in the final moments of the session, but fell short in his latest run with the new Honda engine introduced to his RC212V. He had been unable to get a full assessment of the motor on Friday due to the wet conditions.

Pedrosa eventually placed third, ahead of former teammate Nicky Hayden –now with Ducati Marlboro. Hayden’s confidence has been boosted by a positive result in his home race and a decent showing for most of Friday afternoon.

Down in fifth and half a second down on Fiat Yamaha colleague Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi ran off track when trying to tuck in for a tight turn. He kept his Yamaha M1 vertical, an achievement that Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s James Toseland had been unable to manage earlier on with a high speed lowside. Niccolò Canepa also crashed during the session.