Binder fastest in Emilia-Romagna MotoGP practice
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Brad Binder set the fastest time in Friday's practice sessions for this weekend's Emilia-Romagna MotoGP.
In the afternoon session South Africa's Binder, who won the Czech Grand Prix in August for both his and KTM's first victory at the top level, eclipsed the time set in the morning at Misano Adriatico by Fabio Quartararo.
His lap suggested KTM had solved the problems that hobbled their bikes in Sunday's San Marino MotoGP on the same track, when the team's best finisher was 10th.
Binder finished Friday's practice just 0.002sec better than Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami (Honda-LCR).
Quartararo, of the Yamaha satellite team, was third best over the course of the day following a statement run in the morning session after a disastrous race on Sunday in which he crashed twice, did not finish and lost the championship lead to Andrea Dovizioso.
His teammatee at Yamaha-SRT, Franco Morbidelli, who won the San Marino GP, was sixth fastest.
Ducati's Dovizioso only managed 12th and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was 14th in front of the clusters of spectators allowed to attend.
Six-time champion Marc Marquez remains sidelined as he recovers from a broken arm he suffered in the opening race.
Fastest laps over the first two free practice sessions of the Emilia-Romagna MotoGP:
1. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 1min 31.628sec, 2. Takaaki Nakagami (JPN/Honda-LCR) at 0.002sec, 3. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha-SRT) 0.016, 4. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) 0.041, 5. Pol Espargaro (ESP/KTM) 0.071, 6. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Yamaha-SRT) 0.183, 7. Joan Mir (ESP/Suzuki) 0.298, 8. Miguel Oliveira (POR/KTM-Tech3) 0.337, 9. Danilo Petrucci (ITA/Ducati) 0.345, 10. Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati-Avintia) 0.444, 11. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati-Pramac) 0.510, 12. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 0.524, 13. Iker Lecuona (ESP/KTM-Tech3) 0.610, 14. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 0.635