Italian Marco Simoncelli has topped both Friday practice sessions ahead of the German Grand Prix on another difficult day for Valentino Rossi.
Simoncelli countered a late challenge from Yamaha’s Lorge Lorenzo to top Practice 2, with Repsol Honda trio Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso rounding out the top five.
Rossi’s day meanwhile began with a sizeable crash in Practice 1 that saw the nine-time World Champion report to the medical centre with cuts to his arm.
Returning for Practice 2, the Italian’s Ducati suffered mechanical problems, forcing Rossi onto his spare bike. The end result was the 12th fastest time.
The downhill, right hand Turn 11 that caught Rossi out in the morning also saw falls for Stoner, Pedrosa and Toni Ellias. A subsequent crash at Turn 1 required a spare Honda for Ellias.
Loris Capirossi’s return from shoulder and chest injuries on the Pramac Ducati was brief – the veteran Italian pulling out of the event after Practice 1, to be replaced by World Superbike rider Sylvian Guintoli.
See below for the full practice results
Practice 1
|
Pos. |
Rider |
Nation |
Team |
Bike |
Time |
Gap |
| 1 | Marco SIMONCELLI | ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1’22.823 | |
| 2 | Casey STONER | AUS | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’23.004 | 0.181 |
| 3 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 1’23.046 | 0.223 |
| 4 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1’23.205 | 0.382 |
| 5 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’23.355 | 0.532 |
| 6 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | Cardion AB Motoracing | Ducati | 1’23.416 | 0.593 |
| 7 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP | Ducati | 1’23.433 | 0.610 |
| 8 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 1’23.534 | 0.711 |
| 9 | Ben SPIES | USA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 1’23.558 | 0.735 |
| 10 | Colin EDWARDS | USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1’23.594 | 0.771 |
| 11 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’23.604 | 0.781 |
| 12 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | Suzuki | 1’23.989 | 1.166 |
| 13 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1’24.162 | 1.339 |
| 14 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1’24.512 | 1.689 |
| 15 | Hiroshi AOYAMA | JPN | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1’24.620 | 1.797 |
| 16 | Toni ELIAS | SPA | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 1’26.060 | 3.237 |
| 17 | Loris CAPIROSSI | ITA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 1’26.334 | 3.511 |
Practice 2
|
Pos. |
Rider |
Nation |
Team |
Bike |
Time |
Gap |
| 1 | Marco SIMONCELLI | ITA | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1’22.225 | |
| 2 | Jorge LORENZO | SPA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 1’22.320 | 0.095 |
| 3 | Dani PEDROSA | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’22.432 | 0.207 |
| 4 | Casey STONER | AUS | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’22.542 | 0.317 |
| 5 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1’22.654 | 0.429 |
| 6 | Nicky HAYDEN | USA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1’22.882 | 0.657 |
| 7 | Ben SPIES | USA | Yamaha Factory Racing | Yamaha | 1’22.894 | 0.669 |
| 8 | Randy DE PUNIET | FRA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 1’23.037 | 0.812 |
| 9 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SPA | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | Suzuki | 1’23.261 | 1.036 |
| 10 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | Cardion AB Motoracing | Ducati | 1’23.352 | 1.127 |
| 11 | Colin EDWARDS | USA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1’23.431 | 1.206 |
| 12 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1’23.533 | 1.308 |
| 13 | Hector BARBERA | SPA | Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP | Ducati | 1’23.625 | 1.400 |
| 14 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1’23.760 | 1.535 |
| 15 | Hiroshi AOYAMA | JPN | San Carlo Honda Gresini | Honda | 1’23.906 | 1.681 |
| 16 | Toni ELIAS | SPA | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | 1’24.304 | 2.079 |
| 17 | Sylvain GUINTOLI | FRA | Pramac Racing Team | Ducati | 1’25.964 | 3.739 |
