Petrucci makes his mark at Misano

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Misano, September 9: Danilo Petrucci of Pramac Racing stole the headlines on Day 1 at the Misano MotoGP, taking to the top late on in the final stages of FP2 as a top ten shootout got underway.

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took second by only 0.005 seconds, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) - the Championship leader - only another 0.058 further back. Dovizioso was also third quickest in FP1.

With the weather forecast for the rest of the weekend looking changeable, the grid were looking to get into that top ten for provisional direct entry into Q2 qualifying.

After the day dawned damp, conditions were good for slicks in FP1 but improved in FP2, setting the stage for a good battle in the final minutes.

Behind the top three in that battle, it remained incredibly tight: Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) was only 0.052 off third and just over a tenth off the top, with the 2016 winner also heading the timesheets briefly towards the end of the day's action.

He headed team-mate Marc Marquez, who went down in a fast but low drama lowside at Turn 16 near the end of the second session - just getting back out on his second bike and completing the top five. Marquez was quickest in FP1, however.