Andrea Dovizioso fastest in first practice in France
ByAutoSport
Updated 15/05/2015 at 09:44 GMT
Andrea Dovizioso led the way for Ducati after coming out on top in a battle with Marc Marquez's Honda in opening practice for MotoGP's French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
Andrea Dovizioso
Image credit: Imago
Marquez's times came on his spare bike, after his main machine ground to a halt opposite the pits at the end of his out-lap in the opening minutes.
Dovizioso established himself in first place in the second half of the session, but was inched out by 0.034 seconds when Marquez did a 1m34.436s with two minutes to go.
But with virtually everyone improving on their final runs, positions kept on shuffling and Dovizioso made it back in front with a 1m34.034s.
Marquez was pushed down to fourth briefly before eventually taking second place with a final lap 0.246s down on Dovizioso.
Jerez winner Jorge Lorenzo was top Yamaha in third, just 0.021s off Marquez and only 0.009s ahead of Cal Crutchlow's LCR Honda.
Home team Tech 3 held a one-two in the opening part of the session, with Pol Espargaro precisely a tenth of a second ahead of Bradley Smith.
Lorenzo and Crutchlow spoiled that formation by squeezing in between the two satellite Yamahas, before the late shuffle knocked both back.
Espargaro's last run put him fifth, just ahead of Scott Redding - who was fastest of all in sector two - Valentino Rossi and Yonny Hernandez. Smith ended up 10th.
Andrea Iannone took ninth as he assessed the shoulder he dislocated in a testing crash at Mugello on Tuesday.
Also playing himself in gently was Dani Pedrosa, on his first appearance since the Qatar GP in March.
Having had radical surgery to attempt to cure 'arm pump' since then, Pedrosa began his comeback with a steady 13th place, completing 17 laps.
Alex de Angelis was the only rider to crash in the session, though many more visited the run-off areas at the track's chicanes.
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