Pedrosa sets practice pace at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AFP) –

Spain’s Dani Pedrosa, pictured in June 2012, posted the fastest practice lap on Friday at the Indianapolis MotoGP, riding his Honda over the 2.621-mile, 16-turn layout in 1min 39.783secs.

Spain’s Dani Pedrosa posted the fastest practice lap on Friday at the Indianapolis MotoGP, riding his Honda over the 2.621-mile, 16-turn layout in 1min 39.783secs.

Pedrosa, who won at Indy in 2010, enters the weekend 23 points behind season pace-setter Jorge Lorenzo, also from Spain, and nine points ahead of Australian Casey Stoner, a fellow Honda rider, in the overall points chase.

American Ben Spies, the 2010 Indy pole-winner and runner-up, was second in Friday’s practice session time chart on his Yamaha at 1:40.078 with Lorenzo third at 1:40.502 and Yamaha’s Andrea Dovizioso of Italy fourth at 1:40.560.

Defending champion Stoner was fifth on 1:40.623 with Britain’s Cal Crutchlow sixth on his Yamaha at 1:41.055.

Lorenzo halted his last top-pace lap in the final turn, leaving uncertain his true potential entering Saturday’s qualifying for Sunday’s race.

Spain’s Toni Elias rode the last session for Ducati after Hector Barbera suffered three fractured vertebrae in a last-turn crash in the first practice session.

He was to be hospitalized until at least Saturday and deemed unfit for the race due to the injuries.