Francesco Bagnaia delivered a stunning performance during the second practice for the 2024 Emilia Romagna MotoGP setting a new Misano lap record.
The second practice session for the 2024 Emilia Romagna MotoGP was marked by intense competition and a series of dramatic moments as riders pushed their limits to secure favorable positions ahead of qualifying.
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia topped the session with a phenomenal time of 1:30.286, setting a new Misano lap record after breaking his previous record of 1:30.304 just weeks prior. The remarkable feat underscored his dominance and form as he continues to chase championship glory.
The session kicked off with several riders struggling to find their footing, as many had their initial flying laps canceled due to track limit violations which meant the timesheet only became representative after riders made their second attempts.
Pramac’s Jorge Martín was the first to make an impact, initially taking the lead with a time of 1:30.884. However, it was not long before Bagnaia quickly responded and reclaimed the top spot demonstrating his intent to take back the championship lead from his rival.
As the session progressed, GasGas Tech3 KTM’s Pedro Acosta briefly challenged for the lead, even managing to push Bagnaia down momentarily, but ultimately backed down to finish eighth, clocking in at 1:30.991.
Meanwhile, Martín continued to push hard and reclaimed the top position with less than 35 minutes remaining in the session, setting a time just 0.080 seconds faster than Bagnaia. However his fastest lap was cancelled due to yellow flags after Augusto Fernandez crashed ahead of him and had to ultimately settle for second.
Meanwhile Gresini’s Marc Márquez maintained his perfect form throughout the session. After initially sitting in fourth place, he climbed up to second towards the end of the session with a time of 1:30.585, just behind Martin.
However with ten minutes left on the clock Bagnaia unleashed his full potential and set a stunning lap that would ultimately secure him both the fastest time of the session and the new Misano lap record. His charge relegated both Martin and Marquez to second and third respectively.
Enea Bastianini finished fourth fastest with a time of 1:30.607, showcasing the strength of Ducati’s lineup this season with his consistent performance indicating he has found his rhythm at Misano and will be a man to watch in qualifying.
Completing the top five was Fabio Quartararo from Monster Energy Yamaha, who managed to clock in at 1:30.886, trailing Bagnaia by six-tenths of a second. Quartararo’s performance was commendable given Yamaha’s struggles earlier in the season, and it suggests he is still capable of challenging for podium finishes.
Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli finished sixth with a time of 1:30.932, closely followed by Pertamina Enduro VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi in seventh place at 1:30.964. Both riders demonstrated strong pace and are expected to be competitive as they head into qualifying sessions.
Aprilia’s Maverick Viñales finished eighth fastest with a time of 1:30.990, while Acosta took ninth with his earlier mentioned time of 1:30.991. Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaró also secured the final spot in Q2 by finishing tenth with a time of 1:31.167.
Jack Miller from Red Bull KTM narrowly missed out on Q2 by just 0.050 seconds, finishing 11th overall with a time of 1:31.217 after struggling to find pace throughout much of the session.
VR46’s Di Giannantonio was 13th despite his late crash ahead of Gresini’s Alex Marquez in 14th and KTM’s Brad Binder in 15th. The Trackhouse pair of Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez came home in 16th and 17th, ahead of the Repsol Honda duo of Luca Marini and Joan Mir.
However, the end of practice saw several incidents that caused yellow flags and disrupted some riders’ final attempts to improve their times. Notably, Fabio Di Giannantonio suffered a crash that left him shaken but ultimately uninjured.
