Aleix Espargaro leads the way as stars struggle for pace at Qatar MotoGP practice

ALEIX Espargaro dominated practice for the Qatar Grand Prix as Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi struggled for pace.

Marc Marquez is off the pace at the season-opening Qatar MotoGP.

ALEIX Espargaro dominated practice for the second successive day for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix as defending champion Marc Marquez and Yamaha rivals Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi struggled for pace.

Spanish rider Espargaro, on a Yamaha, clocked 1min 54.989 sec which was 0.2 sec better than his Thursday performance.

It was also 0.3 sec faster than Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso in second spot on Friday with Honda rider Alvaro Baustista, who was second fastest Thursday, completing the top three.

Factory Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marquez stepped up their pace in fourth and fifth respectively.

Marquez, who made history in 2013 when he became the youngest world champion in his rookie year, still looked uneasy, overcoming two wobbles on his bike as he tries to shrug off the effects of a broken right leg suffered in a dirt-biking accident six weeks ago. Bradley Smith, on a Yamaha, Stefan Bradl, riding a Honda, and rookie Pol Espargaro made up the top eight.

Yamaha rider Esparago, the younger brother of Aleix, had crashed out early in the session.

Nine-time world champion Rossi, on the factory Yamaha, was a second off the pace in ninth with Italian compatriot Andrea Iannone behind him in tenth.

Lorenzo, the 2010 and 2012 world champion and Rossi's teammate, was down in 11th at 1.183 sec behind session leader Espargaro.

Lorenzo, runner-up to Marquez last season, goes into Sunday's race having undergone three operations in the winter to repair the collarbone he broke twice in 2013.