The Montmelo circuit just outside of Barcelona is a hive of activity, as all but the Repsol and Gresini Honda teams take to the track. As of 2pm, Stefan Bradl was the fastest man on track, just a fraction quicker than Nicky Hayden and late arrival Jorge Lorenzo, while Andrea Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow and Valentino Rossi are all within three tenths of Bradl's time.
Much of the interest was around the Suzuki garage, where Randy de Puniet made his debut on the bike, after it had been given a shakedown by Nobu Aoki. So far, and some 15 laps in, De Puniet has lapped at 1:44.089, which is some 1.8 seconds off the time of Bradl. In comparison, De Puniet did a 1'43.186 during qualifying on the Aprilia ART machine he has been riding so far this year.
While Jorge Lorenzo was a late arrival, choosing to get some rest in the morning after a hard race yesterday, Bradley Smith left the track early. The Tech 3 man is scheduled to have surgery tonight to repair his little finger, and fix the scaphoid in his left wrist, damage from his crash at Mugello.
Times as of 2pm
