Yamaha factory rider Valentino Rossi topped the first practice of MotoGP's Barcelona round as he demoted long-time leader Marc Marquez at the end of the session. Honda's Marquez had an early pace advantage compared to his rivals as he took the lead with his first flyer, and maintained a significant gap with a couple of improvements. He led by nearly a second with his 1m39.882s, which remained the benchmark until the final minute of the session. Mugello winner Jorge Lorenzo, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Iannone and Valentino Rossi all took turns in second, closing the gap to Marquez. Rossi eventually surpassed the Spaniard as he improved with only a few seconds left on the clock with a 1m39.456s,...
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