The first Saturday session for the MotoGP™ class riders saw yet more wet conditions at the Gran Premio Iveco de Aragón, with Dani Pedrosa coping best on the slippery track ahead of his World Championship rival Jorge Lorenzo and American rider Ben Spies.

As the MotoGP™ action resumed on day two at MotorLand Aragón, Pedrosa started his 27th birthday by setting down a best time of 2:00.490 on the 13th of his 17 laps in the session to demonstrate his wet riding ability and show his determination after his Misano mishaps.

But just behind the Repsol Honda man on the timesheet was his title rival Lorenzo, who lapped just 0.134s slower than his compatriot on his Yamaha Factory machine. Meanwhile, Lorenzo’s teammate Spies continued his good work from Friday to lap third fastest with a 2:00.712 effort.


Additional podium hopefuls this weekend are Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, who are both looking in good shape and were just behind the top three in fourth and fifth respectively.

There was a crash towards the end of the outing for Briton Cal Crutchlow on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine at Turn 12, but he concluded the practice in sixth place nonetheless. Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham finished seventh after also suffering a light crash.

Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner’s Repsol Honda substitute Jonathan Rea and Rossi’s Ducati colleague Nicky Hayden completed the top ten.

The riders reported drying sections in parts of the circuit and standing water in other areas, meaning grip levels are varying considerably over the course of a lap, whilst cool track temperatures meant most of the riders were struggling to warm their tyres early in the session.

This afternoon’s MotoGP™ qualifying showdown commences at 13.55hrs local time.

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