MotoGP Buriram: Zarco heads Ducati trio in FP2

Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco headed a dominant Friday for Ducati at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit.

The Frenchman’s 1’30.281 final effort denied factory rider Pecco Bagnaia the spoils by a mere 0.018s as teammate Jorge Martin completed the set for the Bologna manufacturer in third.

A dry FP1 found Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez confirming his recovery as he set the pace with a 1’30.523 despite an early off as Friday’s action fired up. Defending champion Fabio Quartararo claimed second in the standings from Japanese winner Jack Miller with the trio just 0.065s apart after the opening 45 minutes while Mooney VR46’s Luca Marini impressed a further three hundredths back, in fourth.

Danilo Petrucci’s return to MotoGP kicked off with a 1’32.706, two seconds away from the Honda, as he familiarised himself with the Suzuki GSX-RR, while Cal Crutchlow’s third appearance found him on the fringes of the top ten.

The afternoon action began with Zarco setting the target, albeit a second down on FP1. VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi followed suit before Quartararo slotted in between and Martin bettered overall. The times began to tumble as Bezzecchi improved again, Marquez returning to command with a 1’31.351 as Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder claimed third, before the running off at turn four two laps later.

Ducati Lenovo’s Bagnaia hit the top after ten minutes on track, 0.025s ahead of the Repsol Honda as Franky Morbidelli entered the top ten on the second Monster Energy M1. Just WithU Yamaha’s Darryn Binder and HRC stand-in rider - for the injured Takaaki Nakagami - Tetsuta Nagashima having improved on their FP1 efforts from 22nd and 23rd in the opening stages.

Both Aprilias appeared to struggle as day one unfolded. Aleix Espargaro led