2024 British MotoGP: Jorge Martin remains on top in second practice

Jorge Martin emerged as the standout performer on the opening day of the 2024 British MotoGP at Silverstone, topping both the FP1 and FP2 sessions ahead of Aleix Espargaro.

Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin continued his impressive form in the afternoon FP2 session at the 2024 British MotoGP, topping the timesheets with a blistering lap time of 1:57.911.

The Spaniard’s pace in FP2 was simply unmatched, as he lapped the circuit over 1.5 seconds faster than Alex Rins’ 2022 race lap record. His time of 1:57.911 was just 0.1 seconds shy of Johann Zarco’s all-time lap record, set in the same year.

The impressive performance showcased Martin’s ability to extract the maximum potential from his Ducati GP24 machine and sent a clear message to his rivals about his quest to claim the world championship.

The Aprilia duo of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales continued to impress in FP2, with Espargaro securing the second-fastest time of the day with a 1:57.956. However, Vinales was unable to match his teammate’s pace in the afternoon session after finishing second in FP1 but still managed to set the eighth-fastest time overall.

Their performances highlighted the bike’s strengths, particularly in the high-speed corners of the Silverstone circuit. Their ability to challenge Martin for top positions throughout the day suggests that they will be serious contenders for the race win on Sunday.

Current championship leader Francesco Bagnaia finished third in FP2 with a time of 1:58.030 ahead of Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini who clocked in at 1:58.157 as Red Bull KTM’s Jack Miller rounded out the top five with an impressive 1:58.221.

Meanwhile, Fabio Di Giannantonio finished sixth with a time of 1:58.234, showcasing his growing confidence and skill on the Ducati as Miller’s teammate Brad Binder finished seventh, further establishing KTM’s edge at Silverstone after an mpressive Friday showing.

However, the session was not without its challenges as Marco Bezzecchi and Enea Bastianini both faced technical issues that could have derailed their runs. Fortunately, the setbacks did not prevent them from securing spots in Q2 as Bezzecchi finished ninth.

Gresini’s Marc Marquez barely made it to Q2 as he rounded out the top ten despite a crash at the Stowe corner late in the session. His ability to recover and still place within the top ten demonstrates his resilience and skill.

Pramac rider Franco Morbidelli rider narrowly missed out on Q2 in 11th, lapping seven tenths slower than his session-topping team-mate, while Raul Fernandez was 12th for Trackhouse.

Rookie sensation Pedro Acosta also encountered a minor incident but was able to continue without significant damage and finished 14th fastest. He finished ahead of Alex Marquez and Trackhouse rider Miguel Oliveira, while factory Yamaha pair Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins were split by LCR’s Johann Zarco.

Honda’s Luca Marini was 19th ahead of Gas Gas’s Augusto Fernandez and team-mate Joan Mir, with Takaaki Nakagami, who had an early crash on his LCR-run Honda early on, in 22nd ahead of Yamaha wildcard Remy Gardner.

2024 British MotoGP FP2 Results