Moto2: Schrotter sets early pace at Silverstone

After an action-packed opening Moto2 free practice session, it was Marcel Schrotter who set the early pace, leading Italy’s Mattia Pasini by 0.258 seconds with a lap time of 2’08.385.

Sitting 1.695 seconds outside the outright lap record set by Franco Morbidelli in 2017, the session was littered with a series of incidents, as riders got to experience the newly-resurfaced Silverstone circuit for the first time.

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In a closely contended battle, where anyone inside the top ten stood the chance of going fastest, it was Britain’s Sam Lowes who crossed the line in third position, 0.447 seconds off the fastest time and 0.189 seconds behind Pasini.

Arriving in fourth place was Lorenzo Baldassarri on his Pons HP40 Kalex machine, with Marc VDS rider Alex Marquez just 0.223 seconds behind him.

Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia ended the session with a quickest time of 2’09.126, which was only enough for seventh position. His closest rival, KTM’s Miguel Oliveira, crashed early on in the session, tucking the front around turn three. Other fallers included Spain’s Iker Lecuona, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo and Italian Simone Corsi.

Fellow Brit hopefuls Danny Kent and Josh Owens finished 25^th and 29^th respectively.

Pick up this week’s MCN for an extensive, 36-page British Grand Prix preview featuring exclusive interviews with Rossi, Marquez and Lorenzo, a hot lap with Cal Crutchlow and the tech secrets between Marquez’ championship-leading Honda.

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