Track temperatures reached over 110 degrees Fahrenheit today, the point where things get a bit greasy. So, maybe it’s no surprise there were a rash of crashes, although Dani Pedrosa contrived to have another painful episode in the most bizarre circumstances that may prevent him riding tomorrow.
Most people—Dovizioso, Marquez (twice)—simply lost the front end but Pedrosa’s front forks leaked oil onto the brakes and front tyre and he crashed hard in the final corner, banging his left heel very hard and spraying enough hydraulic fluid at the following Rossi for him to crash too, fortunately without injury.
Marquez crashed in both sessions. The first was at the the penultimate corner, the left at the top of the hill. He simply got in too hot and toppled over after some dirt tracking. This afternoon, it was a classic front-end push, which he had three goes at saving with his knee and elbow before bowing to the inevitable. Yet again, he can do one fast lap but is far from convinced he can do a race’s worth.
The man who had no trouble at all today? Jorge Lorenzo. Fastest overall with his morning session time and, back on the soft-edged tyres he prefers, able to string near-identical laps together. Everyone agreed conditions were really difficult this afternoon; they also agreed that Jorge is the man to beat.
