In the second practice session at Le Mans, Jorge Martin set a new lap record, continuing his strong performance from the morning. He clocked 1 minute and 30.388 seconds, topping the charts. Francesco Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta followed closely behind, with Fabio Quartararo also securing a spot in the next round of qualifying.
However, some big names struggled and will have to compete in the Q1 session on Saturday. This includes Marc Marquez, the eight-time world champion, who faced difficulties after an early crash and ended up in 13th place, his first time in Q1 since joining the Gresini Ducati team. Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder also missed out on Q2 due to crashes during practice.
The session saw several lead changes, with Maverick Vinales initially setting the pace before Martin took over. Bagnaia, Aleix Espargaro, and Fabio Di Giannantonio also held the top spot at various points. Ultimately, it was Martin who secured the fastest time with Bagnaia close behind.
Other notable performances came from Jack Miller, who won the French GP in 2021, and Fabio Quartararo, the home favorite. Bastianini missed out on Q2 by a mere 0.010 seconds, while Marquez’s hopes were dashed by a crash at Turn 6 during his final flying lap.
Binder’s third crash of the day left him in 17th place, just ahead of Joan Mir, the top Honda rider. Despite the challenges faced by some riders, the stage is set for an exciting qualifying session on Saturday morning.
