The number 99 heads the Friday timesheets, and on what's traditionally been Honda turf
Ducati bucked the odds at a track said not to favour the Italian ground-missiles, taking three of the top four places on the first day of free practice, with double race winner Jorge Lorenzo topping the sheets on the factory Desmosedici.
With the tight layout and little speed or acceleration, the track is theoretically better suited to more agile bikes with better corner speed, with little opportunity for the Ducatis to unleash their superior power.
Lorenzo, German MotoGP 2018
But independent-team rider Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati) was second; second factory rider Andrea Dovizioso fourth, less than half-a-second down on his team-mate.
Nosing into third, Andrea Iannone (Ecstar Suzuki), who had fitted soft tyres to lead the morning session.
But all eyes remained on Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), who has won every race at the pocket-handkerchief German track for the past eight years, in 125, Moto2 and MotoGP; and finished up fifth after concentrating on endurance and tyre life rather than a single fast lap time.
Tyre life could be crucial at the unusual Sachsenring, with its ten mainly very slow left-hand corners and just three to the right, one very fast and difficult, falling away rapidly over a blind brow.
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- Marquez, German MotoGP 2018
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- Lorenzo, German MotoGP 2018
Although there was a brief sprinkling of rain after lunch in the second Moto3 session, temperatures were higher than expected (the track at 35 degrees C), potentially punishing for the Michelin tyres, asymmetric front and rear.
The good weather forecast is welcome however to some strong riders who missed the top-ten guarantee of going straight through to Q2. These included Suzuki’s Alex Rins (11th), as well as Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Johann Zarco (17th and 18th).
Today’s top ten – all covered by seven tenths of a second – was completed by Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha), rookie Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda), Jack Miller (Alma Ducati), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Ducati).
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- Miller, German MotoGP 2018
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- Marquez, German MotoGP 2018
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- Rossi, German MotoGP 2018
Moto2
Moto2 free practice enjoyed fine weather and even closer lap times, with the top 28 in the generally faster afternoon session within one second of Dynavolt Kalex rider Xav9 Vierge, who came back from a crash early in the session to set provisional pole.
The usual suspects were second and third – Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex) and second Dynavolt rider Marcel Schrotter; with Malaysian Khairul Idham Pawi (Idemitsu Kalex) a surprise fourth-fastest.
He too had fallen, in the morning; and so did points leader Pecco Bagnaia (SKY VR46 Kalex) in the afternoon, ending up fifth fastest ahead of Jerez winner Lorenzo Baldassarri (HP40 Kalex).
The top non-Kalex was another to tumble, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM), placed seventh behind Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Kalex), and ahead of Sam Lowes (SII KTM).
Australian Remy Gardner (Tech 3) was 21st on combined times; American Joe Roberts (NTS) 28th, 1.7 seconds down.
Gardner, German Moto2 2018
Moto3
Moto3 points leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Honda) dominated the morning session, with a comfortable margin (for this track) of two tenths of a second. But everyone closed up in the afternoon, and he finished up third.
Jerez winner Philipp Oettl (Sudmetal KTM) was on top, a good omen for his home GP; while Toni Arbolino (Marinelli Honda was second-fastest, a mere four thousandths faster than Martin.
Honours were split between Honda and the resurgent KTM, with John McPhee (Green Power KTM) and Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital KTM) taking the next two spots, ahead of Aron Canet (EG Honda) in sixth. The KTMs of Rodrigo, Arenas and Kornfeil took the next three spots, with Martin’s Honda-mounted team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio tenth.
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- Luthi, German MotoGP 2018
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- Bradl, German MotoGP 2018
By Michael Scott