MotoGP Assen: Marco Simoncelli continues to lead also in FP2

Due to yesterday’s free practice cancellation, this morning’s longer second practice session started under cloudy skies and a dry track, but halfway through it started to drizzle, and then with 20 minutes left it started to rain with the riders holing up in their garages, but several riders took to track with their rain tires and then the sun came out again.

Typical Assen weather.
Repsol Honda started the session with a big bang, all three of their riders crashed out in less than three minutes; Casey Stoner highsided out on his second lap out, as did his team mate Andrea Dovizioso at the same left-hander turn (and almost hit by Simoncelli) and just a few second later so did Hiroshi Aoyama, but at another turn, and all three crashes were blamed on the cold tire syndrome/or some damp area.

Both Dovizioso and Aoyama had to be medicated at the Clinica Mobile, but both were able to return to track, battered and bruised.
The Italian and Japanese riders’ finished the session in 8th and 15th.
The leader of the field was again Marco Simoncelli who was the fastest in yesterday’s wet conditions and also in the dry posting a best lap of 1.

36.
419 and he was followed by Casey Stoner who was just 0.

193s adrift despite his crash.
The Yamaha duo sporting the beautiful 50th Annivesary livery saw Ben Spies have a very strong session finishing in third ahead of team mate Jorge Lorenzo in fourth, who was a little less than 6 tenths from the top of the timesheet.
Valentino Rossi continued his learning and data gathering on the new GP11.
1 (a hybrid between the GP11 and 12) was fifth and 1.
098s off pace, not a brilliant lap time but seemingly better than usual.
Cal Crutchlow nursing his shoulder and praying for rain was sixth in the dry, the same position he was in the wet and the other walking wounded rider of the Yamaha Tech3 team Colin Edwards, was right behind him in seventh.
Nicky Hayden was seventh and desiring the GP11.
1 at Sachsenring instead of waiting for it at his home race at Laguna Seca.
Toni Elias finally coming to grips with his Honda closed out the top ten.
MotoGP Assen FP2 results:01- Marco Simoncelli – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – 1’36.
14902- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 0.
19303- Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
26004- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
59605- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11.
1 – + 1.
09806- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
18307- Colin Edwards – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
23708- Andrea Dovizioso – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 1.
51209- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 1.
57510- Toni Elias – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC212V – + 2.
12711- Randy De Puniet – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
13312- Hector Barbera – Mapfre Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
27813- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
78014- Alvaro Bautista – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP – Suzuki GSV-R – + 2.
88315- Hiroshi Aoyama – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 3.
04816- Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 4.
09417- Kousuke Akiyoshi – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 4.
842