Jorge Lorenzo had the fastest lap time in Friday’s practice for the Czech Grand Prix.
The Spaniard covered the 5.403-meter (3.358-mile) Brno circuit in 1 minute, 56.595 seconds to beat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi by 0.399 second. USA Today
Rossi won last year’s race by over 15 seconds after Casey Stoner crashed out of the lead.
Dani Pedrosa was third for much of practice, but only dipped within one second of Lorenzo at the very end of the session. Pedrosa and Donington winner Andrea Dovizioso (fifth fastest) were earlier confirmed at Repsol Honda for the next two years.
Colin Edwards, who took his first podium of the season last time out at the British GP, split the factory RCV riders for a late fourth on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3.
Third in the championship Stoner has withdrawn from the next three events to try and cure the fatigue problems he has suffered at the last five rounds, with his place at Ducati Marlboro handed to class rookie Mika Kallio.
The young Finn, a best of eighth so far this year, made a flying start to his factory career by running fifth throughout the middle stages of the session, a position he returned to with one minute to go. However, last gasp improvements by Dovizioso and Toni Elias (Gresini Honda) pushed him back to seventh, 1.707sec behind Lorenzo but still the top Ducati rider.
Permanent factory GP9 rider Nicky Hayden had contrasting fortunes, sitting just 15th at the halfway stage on his way to twelfth place. The 2006 world champion set a best lap time 0.519sec slower than Kallio.
Alex de Angelis was eighth despite his late fall. Yahoo! Eurosport
Alex De Angelis, the second San Carlo Honda Gresini rider, was just back in eighth and less than a tenth better than Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi. Capirossi and teammate Chris Vermeulen, 13th best, had the benefit of new frames and engines in Brno.
Hayate Racing’s Marco Melandri was 10th and followed in quicker order by Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s James Toseland and Hayden.
LCR Honda’s Randy De Puniet finished 14th on a broken ankle. The Frenchman broke the ankle motocrossing ten days ago with his trainer, the former World Motocross Champion Yves Demaria.
Pramac Racing’s Niccolo Canepa was 15th in front of Gabor Talmacsi, the Scot Honda riding in MotoGP for the first time at the track closest to his home in Hungary.
Ducati Xerox World Superbike rider Michel Fabrizio, riding alongside Canepa on the Pramac Racing team, finished his first session on a MotoGP bike 17th. Cycle News
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