MotoGP: Qatar Test Day 2, it's still the Ducati Show, Dovizioso first ahead of Marquez and Iannone, Rossi 5th

MotoGP 2015 #QatarTest – The second day of testing in Qatar once again saw a Ducati as a great protagonist. If yesterday it was Andrea Iannone who achieved the best time, today it was the turn of his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso (on the track with aerodynamic appendages on the sides of the fairing) to bring the new Ducati Desmosedici GP15 to the top of the time list.

The driver from Forlì lapped in 1:54.907 (below the track record set by Casey Stoner) demonstrating that yesterday's performance was no coincidence. The new motorbike entirely designed by Eng. Luigi dall'Igna seems to be from another planet compared to the "old" GP14 (which arrived at its third stage of development at the end of the 2014 season).

This is also confirmed by the third place of Andrea Iannone, who was also leading the session today. The Honda of reigning champion Marc Marquez was inserted between the two Desmosedicis, trailing Dovizioso by 0.184 and just 13 thousandths ahead of the former Team Pramac rider.

The Rossa from Borgo Panigale is starting to scare and in the paddock we are starting to question whether it is right that it continues to have the advantages of the Open (soft tyre, more liters available and the possibility of developing the bike during the season), a regulation that it is also used by Suzuki and Aprilia. The current regulation allows you to take advantage of these advantages, which will be lost in the event of victories or podiums obtained in the dry. In the event of a success, the tank capacity will increase from 24 to 22 liters, while to "lose" the soft tire you need three victories.

Valentino Rossi, who after yesterday's problems due to a fall triggered by a technical problem with the fork of the Yamaha M1, returned to the top positions today, no longer agrees with this "help" and has reiterated it more than an occasion (click here to read his thoughts).

The seven-time Top Class world champion closed day 2 at Losail in fifth position (+0.674s), immediately behind team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and ahead of Dani Pedrosa's #26 Honda.

The Top Ten is closed by the Honda of Team LCR of the British Cal Crutchlow, by the two Yamahas of the Team Tech 3 of the British Bradley Smith and the Spanish Pol Espargarò and by the surprise of the day, the Honda Open of the Czech Karel Abraham, who has never been so close to the first.

Abraham is followed by the Colombian Yonny Hernandez, riding the Pramac Racing Ducati GP14.2 and the Suzuki of the Spaniard Aleix Espargarò, who loses positions compared to yesterday (he finished fourth). His team-mate Maverick Vinales is fourteenth, behind the Honda Factory of the British Scott Redding and ahead of the Ducati Open of Team Avintia of Hector Barberà.

Danilo Petrucci from Terni also loses ground, today twenty-second at 1.855. The former Iodaracing rider continued to search for the right feeling with the Ducati GP14, which yesterday had "betrayed" him twice, two crashes fortunately without consequences. He worked above all on the race pace. Rookie Jack Miller (who moved directly from Moto3 to MotoGP) did better than him, riding the Honda RC213V-RS of Team LCR.

The Aprilias are bringing up the rear today too. Alvaro Bautista with the RS-GP finished twenty-fourth, immediately ahead of the Iodaracing ART Aprilia of Alex de Angelis from San Marino. Once again Marco Melandri from Ravenna was last, yesterday victim of a flu attack and who closed at 3.075. Superbike still seems to be on the #33's mind, who today at least reduced the gap to his team-mate Alvaro Bautista. However, the road is still uphill and in two weeks the 2015 world championship will begin in Qatar.

Photos: Alex Farinelli

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Losail Qatar Test Day 2 – The final times

1 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1:54.907 2 Marc Marquez Honda 1:55.091 0.184 3 Andrea Iannone Ducati 1:55.104 0.197 4 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1:55.500 0.593 5 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1:55.581 0.674 6 Dani Pedrosa Honda 1:55.582 0.675 7 1 Cal Crutchlow Honda 55.624:0.717 8 1 Bradley Smith Yamaha 55.648:0.741 9 1 Pol Espargaro Yamaha 55.658:0.751 10 1 Karel Abraham Honda Open 55.765:0.858 11 1 Yonny Hernandez Ducati 55.772:0.865 12 1 Aleix Espargaro Suzuki 55.795:0.888 13 1 55.803 Scott Redding Honda 0.896:14 1 55.810 Maverick Viñales Suzuki 0.903:15 1 56.058 Hector Barbera Ducati Open 1.151:16 1 56.104 Nicky Hayden Honda Open 1.197:17 1 56.259 Mike di Meglio Ducati Open 1.352:18 1 56.342 Eugene Laverty Honda Open 1.435:19 1 56.476 Michele Pirro Ducati 1.569:20 1 56.724 Stefan Bradl Yamaha Open 1.817:21 1 56.758 Jack Miller Honda Open 1.851:22 1 56.762 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1.855:23 1 56.936 Loris Baz Yamaha Open 2.029:24 1 57.273 Alvaro Bautista Aprilia 2.366:25 1 57.390 Alex De Angelis Aprilia 2.483:26 1 57.982 Marco Melandri Aprilia 3.075:XNUMX XNUMX