Rain Stops Play: Crutchlow top in Phillip Island washout

Torrential conditions in Australia see second practice cut short and saw Cal Crutchlow taking the honour of fastest on Friday

After a wet morning of action at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, and a Moto3 FP2 that saw times get significantly slower, the red flag then came out during the second session for MotoGP – and it was decided to cancel the remainder of the session, as well as FP2 for Moto2.

With few bikes venturing on track during the early part of the session, it was Hector Barbera (Ducati Team) who went quickest and found himself unthreatened at the top of the timesheets in FP2. His Avintia Racing replacement, Mike Jones, was the next man in the table in his second MotoGP outing to impress once again, with Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat completing the top three.

Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) was only a few hundredths off the Spaniard’s best in fourth, with the other two riders to venture out, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi, more than two and a half seconds further back.

Times set in a wet but faster FP1 were therefore the only ones representative on the combined timesheets, and LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow led the way from Danilo Petrucci and Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS’ home hero Jack Miller.

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) had set some representative laptimes in the first session of the day, before the Italian was given a penalty by Race Direction. Having used one of the Michelin wet tyres for more laps than the allowed 10 in total, the rider from Tavullia saw his laptimes when set on that rubber deleted – leaving him down in P20 by the end of the day, just behind teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who didn’t put in much track time.

Behind Miller and moving up a place on the combined times after Rossi’s penalty was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), after the freshly-crowned World Champion put in a lap five hundredths off that of Miller. Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso completed the top five.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Viñales was sixth and the last man within a second of session and combined leader Cal Crutchlow, slotting in ahead of Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Pol Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista as the timesheets started to spread out.

Nicky Hayden was the man in ninth, with the ‘Kentucky Kid’ taking over for the weekend on the second Repsol Honda machine. Pedrosa’s injury replacement rode the Repsol Honda for the first time since 2008, beating his teammate next year at Honda World Superbike Team – Stefan Bradl (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) – into ninth as the German completed the top ten.

That top ten from FP1 now stand to graduate directly to the Q2 qualifying session if FP3 sees conditions cause problems once again on Saturday, with the big news the prospect of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo being forced into Q1.

The factory Yamaha teammates will be praying the weather is better on Day 2 as they fight it out for second in the Championship, as will the crowd – with schedule changes for Saturday seeing Moto3 action begin at 9:00 (GMT +11) rather than 10:00, with extended FP3 sessions for MotoGP and Moto2.

Folger leads the way in Friday’s single session

Stormy day sees German Brno winner top the timesheets in the morning, with FP2 cancelled.

Phillip Island saw weather take center stage on Friday, with MotoGP losing most of FP2 after a red flag stopped the session because of the rain – and it was decided to not restart. Moto2, set to take to the track after the second session for the premier class, then had their FP2 session cancelled as track action was brought to an early halt.

Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) went quickest in a tough Moto2 FP1, with continuous rain leaving Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit soaked to the core. With no FP2, the morning session’s times now become those of Day 1, and Danny Kent (Leopard Racing) had an impressive showing in the first and only practice of the day to end up P2 behind Folger, as the 2015 Moto3 World Champion found a big turn of speed.

Reigning Moto2 Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) was third in FP1. Zarco, who had a tough day in the difficult wet conditions on Sunday at the Czech GP, showed no such struggles at Phillip Island and comfortably remained in the top echelons of the order under the rain down under.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team) was fourth fastest as the Misano winner got back up towards the top of the timesheets, with Zarco’s key Championship rival Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP40) in fifth – having won from pole in 2015, more than 6 seconds clear as a rookie and looking to repeat the feat.

Idemitsu Honda Team Asia rider Takaaki Nakagami ended the session in P6, ahead of aptly named ‘Pescao’ Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia). Jesko Raffin (Sports-Millions-EMWE-SAG), Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) and home hero Remy Gardner (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) completed the top ten.

Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) had a spectacular crash mid-session – rider ok – to leave his EG0,0 Marc VDS machine in several parts in the gravel trap and a big job ahead for the team to rebuild the bike, and Luca Marini (Forward Racing) joined his compatriot in suffering an incident in the tough conditions. Both will be back out tomorrow to wipe the slate clean and avoid repeats.

The start time for Moto2 FP3 has been adjusted to allow for more track time in the intermediate class, with action now set to begin at 11:10 (GMT +11).

McPhee fastest in FP2 as Bulega remains top on combined

Wet weather turnaround for Italian rookie sees him home and dry on Friday

With conditions beginning difficult in Phillip Island and FP2 dawning even worse, Moto3 times on Friday afternoon couldn’t improve on those set in FP1 and the lightweight class were the only one of the day to complete a full second practice session. With Sky Racing Team VR46 rookie Nicolo Bulega having tamed the track first, the Italian therefore remained top on combined timesheets by the end of the day as rain reigned Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

The Italian topped FP1 at the track despite his rookie status, with a cushion of more than four tenths above nearest rival Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold), and another rookie – Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Aron Canet, who was the early leader. Antonelli was a big crasher of the day in FP2, but was unhurt in the incident as rates of attrition were high.

In the afternoon with harder rain, FP2 saw John McPhee (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) – Brno’s wet weather winner – rise to the top in the torrential conditions, with the Scotsman leading Tatsuki Suzuki (CIP-Unicom Starker) and two-time wet race winner Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda Team Asia). Pawi had a more difficult FP1, before bouncing back in the tougher conditions of FP2 to get in with the frontrunners – but is left much lower down on combined times.

It was a positive day for RBA Racing Team as action opened in Australia, as Gabriel Rodrigo and Juanfran Guevara completed the top five in the afternoon. Rodrigo was also quick in the slightly easier conditions in FP1, taking P4 on combined times.

Behind Rodrigo on the combined timesheets were Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46), Suzuki, Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing Moto3), Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV).

Freshly crowned Moto3 World Champion Brad Binder – who had an incredible save in FP1 as his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine threatened to highside him off – was sixth fastest in FP2, but finds himself down on the timesheets on combined times.

With Bulega clear at the front by the end of play on Friday, the paddock now looks up to the skies to see what weather on qualifying day will bring. Schedule changes see the lightweight class head out on track an hour earlier than the original schedule at 9:00 (GMT +11), as the timetable shuffles to allow Moto2 and MotoGP some more track time in better conditions.