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Sitting outside of the top 10 places needed to progress straight through to the pole shootout session in qualifying as FP2 drew to a close, Martin leaped up to top sport with a 2m02.178s.
This put the 2022 Circuit of the Americas poleman 0.063 seconds clear of reigning world champion Bagnaia and LCR Honda’s Alex Rins, as current points leader Marco Bezzecchi missed the Q2 cut at the end of Friday’s running.
Despite dark clouds looming over the Austin venue, rainfall mercifully stayed away as a number of riders improved on their FP1 times in the early part of the hour-long second session.
The biggest mover in the first 10 minutes was RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira, who leaped up to third overall with a 2m03.407s on a fresh soft rear slick.
Just as the Portuguese rider had moved up the order, he crashed going into the Turn 2 right-hander after running wide onto the painted white line on the edge of the circuit.
Oliveira was unharmed in the fast tumble, but would endure a se …