#CatalanGP MotoGP Warm Up: Folger crashes the session, Márquez crashes to the ground!

When you are a MotoGP rider, what can you expect from a 20-minute warm-up taking place today in Barcelona with a track temperature very far from that which will prevail during the race?

A priori, apart from regaining a possible confidence lost due to a fall, not much, especially since it is not a question of destroying your motorcycle or injuring yourself!

However, Valentino Rossi has often accustomed us to taking advantage of this to improve our bikes at the last minute, and the main interest of this session will indeed be to know whether, yes or not and at least in cooler conditions, the Yamahas are able to join the official Hondas and the Ducati in the Catalan clash which is preparing for this afternoon…

This morning, the temperatures are already 28° in the air and 34° on the track, and, as a reminder, Bradley Smith was declared unfit to participate in the GP after his finger fracture yesterday.

Once again, it is Jorge Lorenzo the most eager to hit the track.

Marc Márquez takes a lap before returning to change motorbikes, but falls in the process, for the sixth time this weekend, this time on foot.

Meanwhile, most riders ride with a medium rear tire and it's Jonas Folger which turns out to be the fastest, in 1'45.004.

At mid-session, we find at the top of the ranking: Folger, Redding, Aleix Espargaro, Miller, Rossi, Petrucci, Zarco, Dovizioso, Iannone et Baptist.

Vinales is 15th, Crutchlow 17th and Márquez 18th. Only 7 drivers are in the same second.

During the last five minutes, John Zarco is positioned 5th and the session ends with this hope left to the Tech3 drivers for this afternoon... while Marc Márquez falls again at turn number 14 while trying to follow Jonas Folger !

Nice session Sylvain Guintoli who finished 17th, half a second behind his teammate.

Ranking compiled by our friends at crash.net :

1. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 45.004s [Lap 5/11] 339km/h (Top Speed)
2. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 45.449s +0.445s [4/11] 343km/h
3. Alex Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 45.537s +0.533s [8/11] 338km/h
4. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 45.735s +0.731s [3/12] 338km/h
5. Johann zarco ENG Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 45.737s +0.733s [9/11] 338km/h
6. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 45.832s +0.828s [6/11] 344km/h
7. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 45.839s +0.835s [5/11] 340km/h
8. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 46.074s +1.070s [3/11] 342km/h
9. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 46.088s +1.084s [6/11] 342km/h
10. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 46.119s +1.115s [8/10] 338km/h
11. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 46.152s +1.148s [10/10] 337km/h
12. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 46.189s +1.185s [10/12] 344km/h
13. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 46.238s +1.234s [5/11] 338km/h
14. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 1m 46.300s +1.296s [4/11] 334km/h
15. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 46.355s +1.351s [4/10] 343km/h
16. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 46.372s +1.368s [7/12] 337km/h
17. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 46.592s +1.588s [8/11] 338km/h
18. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 46.736s +1.732s [5/9] 336km/h
19. Espargaro Pol ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 46.842s +1.838s [8/10] 337km/h
20. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 47.385s +2.381s [7/8] 340km/h
21. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 47.518s +2.514s [6/11] 340km/h
22. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 47.798s +2.794s [4/10] 338km/h

Photo credit : MotoGP.com