On an action-packed Friday in Australia, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo battled for sixth and 16th place respectively under changeable conditions.
The well-known rapidly changing weather on Phillip Island gave the MotoGP World Championship a selection of the best and worst conditions available on the Australian circuit. In the morning the track only reached 16 ° C when it rained until noon. But the lunch break brought better weather, the track warmed up to 36 ° C when the pit lane was opened for free practice 2.
With the forecast remaining stormy throughout the weekend, the drivers made the most of the wet morning session. The reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez and his crew, the third fastest in the rain, quickly adapted the Honda RC213V to the conditions. Marquez then quickly made his way to FP2, aiming to maximize his dry time. With a best time of 1’29.421 in his 19th lap of 19, Marquez finished the day in sixth place, within a tenth of second-placed Dovizioso.
After a few early changes to the setup, Jorge Lorenzo was able to steadily improve his times in both wet and dry conditions. Lorenzo finished a 1’41,958 in FP1 for the 18th and improved to a 1’30,706 for the 16th in FP2 as he continued to evaluate various setup changes to suit the fast Phillip Island circuit. Switching to the softer option tire gave Lorenzo a significantly improved feel.
The day ended with an additional 20 minute session. Michelin took the opportunity to evaluate tire options for the 2020 season. The times of the meeting didn’t add to the top ten for the second quarter. Marc Marquez achieved another incredible rescue during the tire testing session, lifting his RC213V from a 70.8 ° lean angle on Turn 10, to the delight of spectators and fans around the world.