Marc Marquez tops FP3 at Motegi MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo goes down hard – Jones improves markedly
Jorge Lorenzo is yet another rider to suffer a massive highside at Motegi this weekend. The Spaniard was flipped up hard with five minutes remaining in FP3 and landed very heavily, favouring his ankle as he eventually got to his feet. Half an hour later Lorenzo was air-lifted to hospital for precautionary CT scans to see if there are any underlying issues from his somersault into the tarmac.Â
Dani Pedrosa has already been ruled out of the weekend after being sent to orbit yesterday and has been replaced on the Repsol Honda by Hiroshi Aoyama.
Eugene Laverty another victim yesterday and sat out FP3 but will undergo another medical evaluation later today to see if he can get out in the afternoon session.
Jack Miller fell late in the session at turn nine and ended the morning session in 17th place.
Mike Jones continued to make progress on the Avintia Ducati, dropping almost two-seconds from his best time on Friday to lower his mark to 1m49.071, four-seconds off Marc Marquez who set the fastest time of FP3 with a 1m44.987.
Cal Crutchlow made it a Honda 1-2, only 0.039 behind Marquez, while positions three and four were filled by Ducati men Andrea Dovizioso and Hector Barbera.
Lorenzo ranked fifth ahead of Aleix Espargaro, Maverick Vinales and eighth placed Valentino Rossi.
Motegi MotoGP 2016 – FP3 Results
- Marquez 1m44.987
- Crutchlow +0.039
- Dovizioso +0.070
- Barbera +0.133
- Lorenzo +0.164
- Espargaro A +0.168
- Vinales +0.261
- Rossi +0.430
- Espargaro P +0.693
- Petrucci +0.857
- Redding +0.867
- Bradl +1.025
- Hernandez +1.249
- Bautista +1.734
- Nakasuga +1.820
- Laverty +1.866
- Miller +2.257
- Rabat +2.340
- Aoyama +2.535
- Smith +2.569
- Baz +3.296
- Jones +4.084
