Ian Wheeler takes stock of day one at Misano

With Dani Pedrosa over half a second faster than the rest of the MotoGP field in FP1 on Friday at Misano the Spaniard looks in top form, especially coming into the weekend off the back of a victory at Indianapolis. Following the opening session in San Marino motogp.com’s Ian Wheeler assessed how things are shaping up in Round 12.

“Dani Pedrosa said he needed to carry the momentum from Indianapolis into this weekend, and he’s shown he’s done that with the fastest time,” said Ian. “It’s also a long time since we saw the two Repsol Hondas first and second on the timesheet after FP1, and we did today with Andrea Dovizioso. Jorge Lorenzo in third was struggling with rear traction issues and that’s a problem that’s affecting riders in all three classes. I think the race winner in MotoGP on Sunday will be the rider who manages that grip to best effect.”

Ian continued: “I think Pedrosa will still be fastest tomorrow, but I don’t think it will be easy for him. Lorenzo knows that beating Rossi in his own back yard and at a track he has won on for the last two seasons will be a massive psychological boost for him and a blow for Rossi. I expect him to push hard in qualifying and in the race.”

Ending the hour-long practice in fourth spot was defending Champion Rossi, and Ian believes the Italian will find it hard to match his rivals.

“I think it’s going to be very difficult for Rossi here. He’s not 100% fit, this is a demanding track and conditions will be hot. The grip will be an issue not just on the rear but on the front too, and Rossi with his injured leg is not able to catch that front and I don’t think we’ll see him pushing so hard this weekend.”