#CzechGP MotoGP FP1: Zarco walks on water!

The rain, very present during the Moto1 FP3, has now stopped on the Brno circuit, but the track remains wet for this start of the MotoGP classes.

In terms of new features, we are waiting for the new Ducati fairing and the new Aprilia engine.

At Honda, Marc Márquez refused the new frame tested two weeks ago here but remains very positive about the private test carried out.

At Yamaha Factory, we are always talking about “new old chassis”.

Here are the references available at the start of this first 45-minute MotoGP session:

#CzechGP MotoGP	2016	2017
FP1	1'56.189 Andrea Iannone (see here)
FP2	1'55.840 Marc Marquez (see here)
FP3	1'54.791 Jorge Lorenzo (see here)
FP4	1'56.275 Jorge Lorenzo (see here)
Q1	1'55.793 Dani Pedrosa (see here)
Q2	1'54.596 Marc Marquez (see here)
Warm up	2'09.500 Scott Redding (see here)
Course	Crutchlow, Rossi, Marquez (see here)
All time lap record	1'54.596 Marc Marquez 2016

 The track temperature is 22° and most drivers choose to use soft rain tires.

With strong adhesion provided by this pneumatic mount, the times continue to improve and it is an incessant parade which drives the head of the ranking during the first 15 minutes.

At the end of this period, it is a Jorge Lorenzo found who leads the operations in 2'06.101, ahead of his teammate Andrea Dovizioso, Dani Pedrosa, Hector Barbera and Scott Redding.

Conversely, Maverick Vinales, 17th, seems very annoyed by the behavior of his bike in these conditions…

Marc Márquez uses a new fairing which we will come back to.

Halfway through the session, a first hierarchy seems to emerge: Marquez, Lorenzo, Barbera, Iannone, Petrucci, Dovizioso, Pedrosa, Redding, Zarco, Baz and Rossi.

La Dorna tells us about some messages displayed by their team on the pilots' dashboards.

A few minutes later, Hector Barbera improves to 2'05.896 while the Tech3 driver takes provisional 5th place.

But one Frenchman can hide another and Loris Baz quickly steals this place in the Top 5!

10 minutes from the checkered flag, Jorge Lorenzo lowers the provisional reference to 2'05.737 while Andrea Iannone goes straight into the gravel.

In the next passage, it is the turn of Dani Pedrosa to remember everyone's good memories, in 2'05.479, but the Mallorcan driver immediately regained his goodness in 2'05.321.

Three minutes from the end of the session, Valentino Rossi seizes the third provisional position while Johann zarco produces his effort and lights the first three partials in red. Result, provisional first place in 2'05.201!

In the remaining 30 seconds, Marc Márquez tries to dethrone the Frenchman but fails by four hundredths of a second...

FP Ranking1:

01- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – 2'05.201
02- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.039
03- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.120
04- Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda Team - Honda RC213V - + 0.245
05- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.511
06- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.644
07- Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.685
08- Hector Barbera – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.695
09- Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 0.721
10- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.783
11- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.925
12- Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda – Honda RC213V – + 0.946
13- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.060
14- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.228
15- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.260
16- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 1.306
17- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 1.421
18- Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 1.490
19- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 1.812
20- Karel Abraham – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.877
21- Jack Miller – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 1.956
22- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 2.412
23- Alex Rins – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 2.600

Photo credit : MotoGP.com