MotoGP Assen: Miller masters wet FP1

Ducati Lenovo’s Jack Miller proved the man to beat in a challenging opening practice at Assen’s TT Circuit on Friday morning.

Increasingly wet conditions saw the Australian set the FP1 pace thanks to a 1’42.589 lap with Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir and Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro covered by three-tenths in the top three at the close of the first 45-minute session.

FP1 fired up with Miller saving a moment in the wet conditions at turn one before Marco Bezzecchi lost the Mooney VR46 at the same corner and Mir gravel tracked on the GSX-RR.

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Franky Morbidelli bickered for dominance in the early session before Miller topped the times with a 1’45.172 on his fifth lap. The Desmosedici fighting the Australian the entire way through in the deteriorating conditions with teammate Pecco Bagnaia completing the quartet in fourth next time around.

LCR’s Alex Marquez sat fifth after ten minutes on track with Johann Zarco heading KTM’s Miguel Oliveira before the Pramac rose to fourth. Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori split the Repsol Hondas of Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro on the edge of the top ten.

Enea Bastianini suffered a mammoth turn one crash with 30 minutes to go, the Gresini Ducati storming across the gravel to the barriers in the high speed off with rider up and okay.

Zarco continued his improvement as he promoted the Prima GP22 to second with a 1’45.845. Miller still dominate out front over 1.3s clear of the pack with a mid 1.44 while the trio behind were covered by a mere 0.012s. Maverick Viñales the sole rider yet to classify a time, 21 seconds adrift of the outright pace, as he became the next to suffer an off track excursion at the first turn.

The Aprilia rider found success