MotoGP: Bagnaia Breaks Lap Record At Jerez – Roadracing World Magazine

Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia was fastest during MotoGP World Championship Practice Friday afternoon at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, in Spain. Riding his Lenovo Ducati Desmosedici GP24 on Michelin control tires, the two-time and defending World Champion lapped the 2.7-mile (4.4 km) course in 1:36.025, which was good enough to top the field of 25 riders and to break his own All-Time Lap Record of 1:36.170 from 2022.

Factory Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales was also under the old lap record with 1:36.125, as was Marc Marquez, who did a third-quickest 1:36.168 on his Gresini Racing Ducati Demosedici GP23.

That’s 0.143 second separating the top three.

MotoGP P1

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Just 0.143 splits Bagnaia, Viñales and Marquez as lap records fall on Friday

Day 1 serves up the perfect aperitivo ahead of a tantalising super Saturday in Andalucia

Friday, 26 April 2024

It was a hard battle for the top 10 in MotoGP™ Practice at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España as the shootout for direct entry to Q2 went down to the wire, setting the stage for a truly super Saturday. By the end of play, a top three split by only 0.143 had emerged: reigning Champion Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), COTA winner Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™).

For Bagnaia, it was a day to test things out on the bike following by a shiny new lap record; for Viñales, a crash early doors before a laptime that initially put him top; and for Marquez, just one sector that stood between him and the fastest lap of the day. All three were under the previous lap record too, not just Bagnaia, and that teases plenty of action on super Saturday even before the full cast of characters are brought onto the stage.

Despite a crash at turn one at the beginning of the session, Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) fought back to fourth in the final 10 minutes of the day, with he and teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio both having a positive Friday and ‘Diggia’ also through to Q2 in P9.

Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is fifth on Friday, but it’s a four-tenth gap to the top he’s looking to bridge in Q2, and he’s got some company he’d likely rather escape right behind him: Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). The rookie sensation was outside the top 10 heading into the final run but got the pedal to the metal and jumped up to sixth at the end of the day, after earlier running round in tandem with MotoGP™ Legend and wildcard Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) too.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was seventh as he looks to get back on a par with Viñales at a track that saw the #41 take pole last year, making it both factory Aprilias securing a spot in Q2. Second in the Championship Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) set a 1:36.480 for P8 – improving on his pace from the morning Free Practice…