German MotoGP, Sachsenring - Friday Practice Results (2)

Friday practice results from the German MotoGP at Sachsenring, round 7 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Takaaki Nakagami crash, MotoGP, German MotoGP, 16 June
Takaaki Nakagami crash, MotoGP, German MotoGP, 16 June
2023 German MotoGP, Sachsenring - Practice (2) Results
Pos RiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1^9Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)1'20.271s25/25302k
2^3Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.040s31/31301k
3=Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.081s17/17300k
4^4Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.100s24/30302k
5^9Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.149s23/29300k
6=Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.352s22/26298k
7^5Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.368s31/31302k
8^9Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.386s24/30301k
9˅5Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.400s25/30299k
10˅3Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.494s24/30303k
11˅2Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.528s14/19297k
12^7Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+0.547s23/29299k
13^2Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.591s14/19298k
14˅13Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.604s18/21298k
15˅2Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.614s20/24301k
16^2Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.851s24/25299k
17˅1Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.586s17/21296k
18˅16Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.870s5/20297k
19^1Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)+2.634s13/25294k
20˅9Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+3.679s3/3290k

* Rookie

Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than Practice 1.
= Rider is same position as Practice 1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than Practice 1.

Official Sachsenring MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 19.765s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 21.228s (2019)

Marco Bezzecchi leads a punishing Practice 2 for the 2023 German MotoGP at Sachsenring which saw big accidents for Takaaki Nakagami (pictured), Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira, then a big save for Marc Marquez through the same Turn 11 that had destroyed Nakagami's Honda.

But the drama wasn't over for Marquez, who later lost the front of his RCV under braking for Turn 1 - his sliding bike then wiping out Johann Zarco as the Frenchman prepared to rejoin the track from pit lane.

The collision ripped Zarco's Pramac Ducati in half, but his feet and legs thankfully missed the impact and both riders returned for the final minutes.

However, Marquez was left in 14th place and will need to take part in Saturday's Qualifying 1 at a circuit where he has never been beaten as a MotoGP rider.

Gresini Ducati team-mates Fabio di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez completed the lengthy, and expensive, P2 fallers list.

Riders directly to Qualifying 2 - Top 10 Combined Practice Times:
PosRiderNatTeam
1Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)
2Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)
3Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Factory (RS-GP23)
4Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)
5Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)
6Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)
7Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)
8Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)
9Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)
10Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)

Jorge Martin pulled a huge stoppie from his Pramac Ducati when the rear was kicked into the air by a braking bump into turn one before becoming the first rider to beat team-mate Zarco's 1m 20.461s pace setting morning time in the closing stages.

Reigning world champion and title leader Francesco Bagnaia then nipped 0.090s under Martin as Desmosedicis briefly filled the top six positions until Jack Miller powered his KTM into second.

The frantic final few minutes then saw Aprilia's injured Aleix Espargaro briefly on top - before Bezzecchi and Martin also saved their best for last.

Worsening weather after morning practice spelt bad news for the likes of Luca Marini, Maverick Vinales and Jack Miller - facing a trip to Saturday's Qualifying 1 if the rain continued.

Fortunately for the trio, and others outside this morning's top ten, the twisty undulating track was dry enough for slicks by the start of the afternoon hour.

Nonetheless, the added risk from the moisture meant some riders, including Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo, chose to sit out the opening part of the session...

Those risks were soon dramatically illustrated when Takaaki Nakagami destroyed his Honda, but fortunately walked away, after sending his RC213V cartwheeling through the gravel at the infamous Turn 11, bringing out red flags to retrieve debris from the track.

It was not immediately clear if the LCR rider had been using the Kalex or standard chassis, but subsequent photos suggest it was the Kalex.

Marquez, who had been watching Nakagami's accident on TV in the pits, took to the track when the session restarted and later made a big front-end save at Turn 12 - rookie Augusto Fernandez getting a perfect view from just behind.

Namesake Raul Fernandez was later sent sliding down the track at Turn 11, while RNF team-mate Miguel Oliveira defied his injured shoulder to lead the middle stages... then also crashed, at Turn 10.

Marquez then narrowly held on to his bucking Honda when the rear let go on entry to Turn 11, returning wide-eyed to the Repsol Honda pits. Replays showed Marquez giving the middle finger to someone or something, presumably his bike.

But worse was to follow when he returned for the final minutes and wiped out Zarco.

2023 German MotoGP, Sachsenring - Practice (1) Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)1'20.702s14/15300k
2Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.152s13/16296k
3Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.195s11/14298k
4Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.253s14/17299k
5Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.330s12/15299k
6Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.352s14/16297k
7Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.397s16/17302k
8Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.415s12/17301k
9Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.508s15/19296k
10Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.511s16/17302k
11Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+0.579s14/15292k
12Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.633s12/16299k
13Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.667s17/18299k
14Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.696s19/19300k
15Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.733s15/16296k
16Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.972s13/17298k
17Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.028s13/17301k
18Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.374s6/15298k
19Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+1.470s6/18295k
20Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)+2.116s15/16293k

* Rookie

Official Sachsenring MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 19.765s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 21.228s (2019)

Johann Zarco conquers a rain-interrupted opening practice for the 2023 German MotoGP at Sachsenring.

A shower arrived just 15 minutes into the session, sending riders into the pits with Jorge Martin fastest from Takaaki Nakagami and Marc Marquez.

The track fell silent for the next quarter of an hour, but with more rain a risk this afternoon riders pushed to improve in the closing minutes with Aleix Espargaro, Fabio di Giannantonio, Francesco Bagnaia and then Aleix Espargaro swapping the top spot in quick succession.

Sachsenring king Marquez, unbeaten in his previous 11 appearances at the track, had been pushing hard from the start, suffering an early leg-off scare at 160km/h before he briefly topped the session.

The Repsol Honda star was then pushed down to ninth before striking back with second behind Espargaro, then went fastest again before Zarco put his Pramac Ducati on top.

Aprilia's Espargaro kept third. The Spaniard, who was diagnosed with two broken bones in his right heel after struggling with bicycle injuries throughout the Mugello weekend, had limped away from a crash at turn 1 after ten minutes. Espargaro is unable to use his rear brake due to the foot damage, causing a fall at Mugello and it could thus have been a factor in this morning's spill.

Alex Marquez and early leader Martin made it three satellite Ducatis in the top five.

Fabio Quartararo, who hasn't won since last year's German Grand Prix, says his main aim is to avoid a fourth Qualifying 1 appearance in a row by being inside the top ten on Friday - a goal he achieved with sixth despite a late fall at turn 1. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli fell shortly before the Frenchman, at the infamous turn 11 Ralf Waldmann (waterfall) corner.

LCR's Takaaki Nakagami has been handed a Kalex chassis this weekend but used the standard chassis to set what would be his best time during the opening minutes.

Remote video URL

Germany was the nadir of Francesco Bagnaia's 2022 world championship season, slipping 91 points from Fabio Quartararo after an early fall before fighting back to take the title in the second half of the year. Bagnaia returns with a 21-point lead over Marco Bezzecchi.

Sachsenring is Marc Marquez’s most successful circuit, with eleven wins at the German Grand Prix, including eight in the MotoGP class. Absent last season due to arm surgery, when Quartararo took victory, Marquez hasn’t been beaten at the tight and twisty anti-clockwise circuit since 2009 in 125cc.

Marquez is riding alone at Repsol Honda with team-mate Joan Mir sidelined by a hand injury at Mugello last weekend. LCR Honda's Alex Rins is also absent after fracturing his right tibia and fibula in Italy. The COTA winner won't be fit to return until after the summer break.

GASGAS Tech3’s Pol Espargaro has abandoned a planned return in Germany and is again replaced by KTM test rider Jonas Folger, meaning a home rider will be taking part in the premier class. Espargaro is also thought unlikely to be fit for next weekend's Assen round.

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