MotoGP: Lorenzo tops manic Motegi Friday

Jorge Lorenzo has topped the opening day of action at the Japanese Grand prix after a manic day that saw numerous bad crashes for some of MotoGP’s top riders.

Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Viñales led most of the afternoon’s session, but a late lap from Lorenzo put him top of the times, 0.053 clear of the Ducati rider. Marc Marquez was fourth, with Cal Crutchlow a strong sixth and Aleix Espargaró ahead of Valentino Rossi in sixth.

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But the free practice session two session saw an early end to the weekend, with a heavy crash for Dani Pedrosa leaving him en route home to Spain to have a broken right collarbone operated on. Eugene Laverty was also a heavy faller, and was taken to hospital by air ambulance to undergo precautionary scans. 

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