[kropotkin thinks...] - 2012 Estoril MotoGP FP1 Result: Spies Leads Ducati Duo on Dry

[Ninjette Newsbot]

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Ben Spies has topped the first session of practice for the MotoGP class at Estoril, the Texan getting the best of the tricky conditions to top the timesheets. The track started damp, but was drying rapidly under the Portuguese sun. Most of the riders stayed inside their garages waiting for the track conditions to improve - for Hector Barbera and birthday boy Jorge Lorenzo, they didn't improve enough, the two Spaniards choosing to sit the first session of practice out - but by the end, the majority of the field felt the track was good enough to provide useful data.

After a couple of tough weekends, Spies put in a lot of laps working on the setup he had been struggling with, and was rewarded with a fastest time. Behind the Factory Yamaha rider, the two Ducatis also had a good session in conditions which suit them - marginal grip and a drying track - to take 2nd and 3rd, while Casey Stoner leaped up the standings at the end of the session to end in 4th. Alvaro Bautista was the fastest of the satellite bikes, just keeping ahead of Cal Crutchlow, who was in turn just a fraction faster than his Monster Tech 3 Yamaha teammate Andrea Dovizioso. Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa ended the session in 8th, ahead of the first CRT rider Yonny Hernandez.

Results:

Race Details 2012


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