Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli set the fastest time during Friday's opening practice session at the Sachsenring, touring the 3.700-km (2.299-mi) German circuit in a time of 1:22.823. Championship leader Casey Stoner was next up in second place after a nasty fall at Turn 11, edging ahead of Jorge Lorenzo who completed the top three runners.
Overcast skies loomed ahead of the session, although any threat of rain ultimately failed to materialise. Four riders crashed in the early stages, with Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi and Toni Elías all losing control of their bikes at Turn 11. The latter went on to end his time on-track soon after, sliding into the gravel at the Coca-Cola Kurve.
Ducati's Nicky Hayden grabbed fourth place ahead of works Honda man Andrea Dovizioso as the session concluded, with both men narrowly outpacing Karel Abraham. Héctor Barberá edged ahead of Randy de Puniet for seventh place, while fellow Americans Ben Spies and Colin Edwards who rounded out the top ten.
Practice 2 begins at 2.10pm local time (BST +1)
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MotoGP
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Marco Simoncelli
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  M. Simoncelli | Gresini | 01:22.823 | 23 |
| 2. | C. Stoner | Repsol Honda | 01:23.004 | 15 |
| 3. | J. Lorenzo | Fiat Yamaha | 01:23.046 | 14 |
| 4. | N. Hayden | Ducati | 01:23.205 | 22 |
| 5. | A. Dovizioso | Repsol Honda | 01:23.355 | 23 |
| 6. | K. Abraham | Cardion AB | 01:23.416 | 23 |
| 7. | H. Barbera | Aspar Team | 01:23.433 | 23 |
| 8. | R. de Puniet | Pramac | 01:23.534 | 25 |
| 9. | B. Spies | Fiat Yamaha | 01:23.558 | 24 |
| 10. | C. Edwards | Tech 3 | 01:23.594 | 20 |
| Full results | ||||
| Marco Simoncelli | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Marco Simoncelli photos | |||
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