Marquez fastest in Argentina MotoGP practice

Marc Marquez was quickest ahead of Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa in the second practice session at the Argentina MotoGP after Andrea Dovizioso set the pace on a difficult track earlier in the day.

Dovizioso said it was "like riding in the wet" due to the dirt on a Termas de Rio Hondo track which had not been raced on since last December after the Ducati rider topped the timesheets in the first session on Friday.

Riders complained of a lack of feeling from front tyres in a testing start to the second round of the season which saw Dovizioso take top spot with a time of one minute and 43.684 seconds.

Marquez was second-fastest in the opening sessions, but took advantage of less challenging conditions to lay down a marker with a time of 1:41.579 later in the day.

Spaniard Marquez finished third in the season-opening round in Qatar last month and will be hopeful that Friday's practice sessions are a sign of things to come when it matters this weekend.

Pedrosa was just 0.025 seconds off fellow Spaniard and team-mate Marquez in the second session, while world champion Jorge Lorenzo - winner in Qatar - was only 14th fastest after adopting a cautious approach to sit 12th after the first session.

Maverick Vinales was third-fastest in the second session after clocking the fourth-quickest time earlier in the morning, with Valentino Rossi only sixth and then one better second time around.

With rain forecast over the weekend, the riders may yet be grateful for the opportunity to practice in trying conditions.