Heavy rain forces cancellation of MotoGP practice

The Misano circuit made a dramatic return to Grand Prix racing on Friday as the afternoon practice sessions for the San Marino Grand Prix were cancelled with parts of the track submerged to shoulder height by flood water. The morning’s MotoGP practice session went ahead in wet conditions, but a torrential downpour at lunchtime saw a river of water running down pit lane and flooding many garages, including the Repsol Honda pit. There was no significant damage to equipment, but at 2pm the organizers were forced to cancel the day’s remaining practice sessions and begin the process of draining the track.

AM Times

Rider Team Time
1 Marco Melandri Honda Gresini 1m 46.948s
2 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 48.632s
3 Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 48.852s
4 Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 49.167s
5 Colin Edwards Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 49.219s
6 Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda Team 1m 49.591s
7 Randy Puniet Kawasaki Racing Team 1m 49.724s
8 John Hopkins Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 49.957s
9 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team 1m 50.389s
10 Alex Barros Pramac d'Antin 1m 51.072s
11 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 51.164s
12 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1m 51.177s
13 Carlos Checa Honda LCR 1m 51.312s
14 Alex Hofmann Pramac d'Antin 1m 53.171s
15 Shinya Nakano Konica Minolta Honda 1m 53.297s
16 Kurtis Roberts Team Roberts 1m 53.428s
17 Sylvain Guintoli Dunlop Yamaha Tech 1m 56.352s
18 Makoto Tamada Dunlop Yamaha Tech 1m 59.146s