UPDATE: Rain in Qatar alters Friday night MotoGP practice
Due to wet weather ahead of Friday's secon🦹d practice at the Qatar MotoGP, the session was ওreclassified.
MotoGP confirmed shortly before the session began꧋: "The Friday night MotoGP session will go ahead in the wet but will now be classified as a free practice. Satur༺day's final practice will now decide the top ten places for direct Qualifying 2 access."
Rain surprise on Friday night in Qatar
Friday practice for MotoGP's Qatar season opener took a dra🍎matic twist with heavy rain suddenly arriving at the end of Moto3's second practice.
It's not the first time heavy rain has beꦍen a factor at the💞 desert venue, with the 2009 event being famously moved to a Monday (pictured) and qualifying cancelled in 2017.
It became the first time that a motorcycle grand prix has official🌳ly ridden under floodlights iᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚn the rain.
It's raining!!! 🌧️
In the desert! 🤯 🇶🇦— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP)
Previously, track action was automatically halted if any rain fell during MotoGP's only night🌺 event due to visibility fears caused by the floodlights illuminating the spray.
But at the end of the 2018 MotoGP test, the Lusail track was deliberately soaked to give riders a taste of wet riding at night, after which it was decided it w🌞ould be safe tꦜo go ahead in future.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at♉ the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
