World News – AU – Franco Morbidelli leads Yamaha 1-2 in cold MotoGP warm-up in France

Franco Morbidelli warms up in both senses of the word as he leads the pre-French MotoGP timed session in a cold Le Mans

Franco Morbidelli got off to an ideal start to his French MotoGP racing day with the fastest time in cold conditions ahead of the ninth round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship at Le Mans

Yamaha rider Petronas SRT enters this afternoon’s race (1200GMT) on his back foot after being moved back from the Q2 order in qualifying, Morbidelli starting from row four in then 11th position that he was only half a second from pole and two tenths from the first row

Nevertheless, he prepared for what should be an unusually cold race in MotoGP terms by edging out his Yamaha counterpart Maverick Vinales, who recovered from an early crash to set the second fastest time

Fresh off easily from his best qualifying performance of the season at the LCR Honda, Cal Crutchlow finished third, while Danilo Petrucci kept his comeback in shape to score the fourth fastest time as he bid for a first podium of the season in the front row today

Pol Espargaro stole the flag for KTM in fifth place, from Alex Marquez, whose positive result on paper was eclipsed by his own crash in the later stages of the session

Local hopeful Johann Zarco finished seventh ahead of compatriot and pole sitter Fabio Quartararo, with Takaaki Nakagami and Andrea Dovizioso in the top 10 Joan Mir, Quartararo’s closest title rival, finished 14th – exactly where it must start this afternoon

Bradley Smith was another rider to descend on the Aprilia ahead of a race that should prove more difficult than many riders will necessarily be used to

Indeed, with French MotoGP rescheduled from May to October, the cold autumn temperatures accentuate the front dependent characteristics of the Le Mans circuit, resulting in a higher number of accidents than usual this weekend

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Motorcycle Grand Prix, Franco Morbidelli, SIC Racing Team, Maverick Viñales, French Motorcycle Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso, Fabio Quartararo