MotoGP Austin: Johann Zarco leads Ducati 1-2, but Alex Rins the favourite?

Better late than never - Johann Zarco produces a brilliant penultimate lap to go from P11 to the top of the leaderboard during FP2 at the American MotoGP.
Johann Zarco, Pramac Ducati MotoGP
Johann Zarco, Pramac Ducati MotoGP

Outside the top ten for much of the session, Zarco made hꦗis final time attack count as he pipped Miller and MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo. 

Despite track🦂 conditions heat♉ing up for FP2, lap times were immediately on pace with Alex Rins’ best effort from FP1. 

Jack Miller kicked off the hot laps by going within a tenth of Rins’ 2:0💃4.007s, while Enea Bastianini moved up to fourth aboard his Gresini Racing Ducati. 

Although a lot of the circuit’s bumps were smoothed out, turn nine, a big problem area in 2021 nearly caught out Jorge Martin as the Pramꦜac rider lost the front not once, but twice.

Thankfully, the Spaniard held on and managed to stay upright🏅. 

While Martin was wr🦂estling his Desmosedici GP22 around turn nine, Miller had ✤no such issues aboard his factory machine as he went five tenths clear of anyone. 

The Australian set a time of 2:03.567s before Bastianini and Aleix Espargaro joined him inও going underneath the best FP1 ไtime.

Jack Miller , Grand Prix Of The Americas, 8 April 2022
Jack Miller , Grand Prix Of The Americas, 8 April 2022
 

After two disastrous Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso began to show good pace during the early stages of FP2. The Italian went as high as P8♍ before quick laps from Francesco Bagnaia, Marc ✤Marquez and Joan Mir bumped the three-time runner-up down to 11th. 

As was the case in FP1, both Aprilia riders started to find their rhythm as Espargaro went P3, before Maverick Vnales put 🧸hisꦏ RS-GP22 into second. 

A MotoGP winner for the first time last weekend, Espargaro has so ജfar looked like a contender for the podium, while Vinales has shown even mo🔜re potential. 

Rins the strongest?

However, as the field began to closeౠ up, Rins and his new soft rear tyre moved the benchmark time a whole five tenths further away. 

R❀ins then backed up his time of 2:03.030s with another lap within a 🐬tenth of a second. 

Although it was very good pace from the Suzuki rider, the ease wi🅷th which he was achieving it should be alarming for the rest of t⛦he grid heading into qualifying.  

With five of the six manufacturers represented inside the top ten with a quarter of FP2 to go, the only ones missiꦜng were KTM who were surprisingly struggling. 

Brad Binder , Grand Prix Of The Americas, 8 April 2022
Brad Binder , Grand Prix Of The Americas, 8 April 2022

Brad Binder was quickest of the Austrian manufacturer’s four riders in 13tℱh. Team-mate Miguel Oliveira had a shocker as he could only manage last place.

Not coming as easy for Mir...

With his team-mate fastest, Mir was pushing hard in order to match Rins𝄹’s efforts but the 2020 world champion appeared to♔ be struggling.

However, his next lap around was good enough to go second, despite pulling all kinds of🥀 shapes to do it. 

Looking to relegate Mir and Rins off the top two spots, Marquez and Miller wer♓e both on absolutely brilliant laps. 

Marquez fell short in the final𝓡 sector, but Miller did not as he went top.  

But just as Miller looked to have taken FP2 honou💃rs, Zarco went a further two tenths quicker,while fellow countryman Quartararo also le🌱aped up from 11th to third.

Bastianini managed to keep hold of fourth late on, while race f♚avourite Rins and Marquez were fifth and sixth respectively. A. Esprargaro was the first rider to miss out on a top ten in 11th.

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