Lorenzo finds pace in second session

Jorge Lorenzo, who was left unsatisfied with his feeling on board his Fiat Yamaha M1 after yesterday’s opening practice, was on the pace on Saturday morning in FP2, setting the fastest lap of the weekend so far with a 1’34.627. The World Championship leader looked far more comfortable in the final session before qualifying for the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, and it showed as he ran consistent 1’34” laps towards the end of the hour.

Dani Pedrosa, fastest in FP1, was second in this session at fractionally over a tenth of a second off Lorenzo’s pace, with Casey Stoner third. The Ducati Team rider, who like Lorenzo was left targeting a vast improvement after the opening practice, was just 0.136s off the top time by the conclusion of the 60-minute run.

Colin Edwards was again the highest placed satellite rider on board his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 M1 machine in fourth, consolidating his impressive first session run, with Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) the fifth and the final rider under the 1’35” barrier and at 0.354s off his team-mate.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar), Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) completed the top ten.

There were non-consequential run-offs in the session for Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP), Capirossi and Pedrosa as all pushed to find the limits of the Misano circuit before qualifying this afternoon, which is due to start at 1.55pm local time.