The long-awaited first practice of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship took place at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Thursday evening, with Cal Crutchlow and the LCR Honda Team setting the twelfth fastest time of the 45-minute session. This year sees a number of technical changes to the regulations, which include a new tyre manufacturer in Michelin and a standardised electronics package. This has meant a gruelling testing period before this first of 18 grands prix, with Crutchlow at the forefront of development for Honda on board his factory spec RC213V. Having tested at the Qatar track barely two weeks previously, Crutchlow was already aware of the challenges facing him over this first race weekend, and in the first practice set about getting his bike in the best shape possible for Sunday’s 22-lap shootout.

Cal Crutchlow : “The first practice wasn’t too bad to be honest, we went through a few things that we needed to try, but nothing special. We used the hard rear tyre, but we were still struggling a bit going into the corners. Overall we’re happy enough though, taking into account the sand on the track and a few people changing tyres at the end of the session. For us there was no real point to do that. We knew this race was going to be difficult, and though it wasn’t the best session, it wasn’t the worst either.”

results FP1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

source: motogp.com, lcr.mc