A late charge from Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) put the Japanese rider at the top of the times thanks to a 1’46.537. Nakagami’s time came on the harder option rear tyre, boding well for the race on Sunday.
Fresh off his thrilling last lap victory in Mugello, Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) was right on pace from the word go. The Frenchman produced a steady flow of 1’46s throughout the session, setting a best time of 1’46.660. With 22 laps completed, Zarco did more laps than any other rider on track.
After two tough weekends in France and Italy, Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) looks to be back on form as the German ended 0.229s from Nakagami and third overall. His teammate Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) was the only faller in the session, coming off at Turn 10. He sustained no series injuries.
Championship rivals Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) were in fourth and fifth respectively, a decent start to their weekends. Rins’ bike underwent significant modifications during the session, his fastest time coming on the penultimate lap.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team), Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten), Luis Salom (SAG Team) and Miguel Oliveira (Leopard Racing) formed the top ten. The Moto2™ World Championship remained as tight as ever with the top 12 within less than 0.8s.
Complete times from the first Moto2™ practice session are available here.