Valentino Rossi was the first to admit surprise as he topped the timesheets in the first practice session for the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi. Rossi managed his fastest time on the final lap of the session – until that point Andrea Dovizioso had been on top.

Both Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo give their reactions on the first practice session below:

Valentino Rossi – Position: 1st Time: 1’48.147 Laps: 27
“I’m really happy about today, it is honestly a big surprise for me to be first! I was expecting to suffer a lot here with my shoulder because there are so many hard braking areas but in fact they are all quite straight so I was happy to find I was okay. In fact I felt very good on the bike right from the start and we have done a great job here with the setting. I used the new engine and Yamaha have done an excellent job on it, it is especially better in fourth and fifth gears and everything is working very well. I know it’s only Friday but it’s a long time since I have been in front like this so I have to enjoy this sweet feeling! I know there’s a chance of rain for the rest of the weekend, which is a pity, and if it is wet we will do our best. I am sorry for Dani; I saw the crash from far off and it’s bad luck, I hope it is not too bad.”

Jorge Lorenzo – Position: 3rd Time: 1’48.474 Laps: 27
“We are much better here than in Aragon, which is a relief! I don’t have the new engine yet like Valentino, I hope we can use it soon, but anyway here we lose much less in the straight here compared to at the last race and we have better acceleration. We can improve the traction a bit in some parts of the track but in general this was a good day and we are not so far off Valentino. I hope the rain stays away so we can continue to improve tomorrow. I don’t want to think for now how Dani’s situation will affect me, but I am sorry for him, it’s very bad luck to be injured at this stage of the season.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“It’s been a while since we finished a session in first! This was a really good practice for us because firstly it’s nice to be in front but more importantly because Valentino was able to ride fast from the start. Our base setting worked very well here. We used the new upgraded engine for the first time and it is working well. We are in good shape and we hope to continue like this tomorrow.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager
“Firstly I want to say that we are really sorry for Dani and we wish him all the best. Today we tried two different settings and Jorge was able to ride fast with both, so tomorrow we will continue in the same way and try to find the best package. Valentino was using the new engine and it looks very good, so we are looking forward to being able to use it soon as well. Tomorrow we need to find a little bit more rear grip but all in all we have a good rhythm and the bike is feeling good for Jorge.”

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