Rossi tops timesheets

Valentino Rossi made a welcome return to the top of the timesheets as he edged out Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in practice for tomorrow’s Catalan Grand Prix.

The Italian, a seven-time world champion in the top class, has not won a race since the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix, and just two weeks ago suffered the indignity of tumbling out of his home race on the opening lap.

But the 34-year-old showed some of the old magic remains as his late fast lap of one minute 42.297 seconds jumped him from the middle of the pack to the top of the standings.

Lorenzo, looking to close his 12-point deficit to championship leader Dani Pedrosa, had topped the times for much of the session and had led the way in the morning running, but eventually missed out to his team-mate by just under five hundredths of a second.

Pedrosa was next up on the first of the Repsol Hondas, with Britain’s Cal Crutchlow fourth overall thanks to a good lap aboard his Tech 3 Yamaha in the morning session.

Alvaro Bautista took a superb fifth overall on the satellite Gresini Honda machine with Marc Marquez sixth as the Spanish rookie took a circumspect approach to practice, after his crash-filled weekend at Mugello last time out.

A delighted Rossi said: “I love this track; it is one of the best and the M1 is always great here in Catalunya.

“It is just Friday but I am very happy to be in front, although we have still a lot of work to do.

“We have to decide which tyre to use and we have some corners and sections where we have to improve for tomorrow.”