Stoner Hits The Front As Times Tumble At Indianapolis

Casey Stoner took over at the top of the timesheets in second practice for the Indianapolis Grand Prix as the improved track conditions signalled a return to relative normality at the front.

Ben Spies was the fastest man this morning but his FP1 time of 1:43.260 was beaten by Jorge Lorenzo on just the second flying lap of the afternoon. Spies fought back to push his teammate into second and the American held on until Stoner's stunner four minutes from the end.

The only moment of danger for the championship leader came moments earlier as a member of the local wildlife crossed the circuit. Stoner managed to swerve past and subsequently set a 1:40.724, two tenths quicker than Spies' Yamaha.

Dani Pedrosa finally showed signs of the pace that made him so difficult to beat in Brno and jumped up to third on his final lap, pushing Lorenzo down into fourth. The world champion was clearly happier than he had been during the morning but the half second gap to his teammate may still concern him.

Like Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso had a spell in first place but eventually slipped to fifth with Colin Edwards starring again to take sixth. Marco Simoncelli was a second off the pace in seventh ahead of Nicky Hayden in the fastest Ducati, Alvaro Bautista on the Suzuki, and Randy de Puniet who completed the top ten.

Valentino Rossi had a slightly disappointing afternoon which resulted in 11^th position, with Cal Crutchlow 14^th on the second Tech 3 Yamaha.

Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix: Free Practice 2 Result