Zarco fastest in wet Misano FP2, Vinales remains top overall

Johann Zarco leads a Ducati 1-2-3 during a wet Misano MotoGP FP2, while Maverick Vinales remains quickest overall.
Johann Zarco, San Marino MotoGP, 17 September 2021
Johann Zarco, San Marino MotoGP, 17 September 2021
© Gold and Goose

Johann Zarco led a Ducati 1-2-3 during the second Misano MotoGP free practice, while Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales remained fastest overall.  

While rain affected the end of FP1, this time it was the beginning of FP2 as riders faced a very wet Misano track. 

Several riders started the session in pit lane including Maverick Vinales who was fastest this morning, along with Andrea Dovizioso, Franco Morbidelli and championship leader Fabio Quartararo. 

Out on-track, Valentino Rossi and Jack Miller both had moments on the approach to turns eight and one respectively. 

Both riders ran wide and through the gravel before Enea Bastianini crashed at turn one when the front end of his Ducati locked under braking. 

The man setting the times at the front was Iker Lecuona who had a commanding advantage of seven tenths over Marc Marquez.

However, it wasn’t long before Marquez began to close in on the Tech 3 KTM rider before eventually getting ahead of the WorldSBK bound Lecuona.  

While lap times continued to quicken, Lecuona and Marquez were then challenged by Ducati riders Jack Miller and Johann Zarco. 

Miller and Zarco exchanged top spot several times as the session went on, while Francesco Bagnaia made it a Ducati 1-2-3 with third.  

After improving from eighth to fifth, Lecuona then suffered a huge highside at turn one. The Spanish rider was helped away by two marshals. 

Bagnaia improved to second ahead of Zarco late on, before going one better on his next flying lap.

Joan Mir and Marquez momentarily split the top three Ducati riders before Zarco went from fifth to first as the checkered flag dropped. 

Ducati remained 1-2-3 as the session ended, however, it was Zarco who finished fastest from Bagnaia and Miller. 

Mir and Marquez rounded out the top five, while Miguel Oliveira was sixth for the factory KTM team.

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