Jorge Lorenzo continued to set the pace in the final free practice session for the Czech MotoGP at Brno, but this time the Spaniard had to work a little harder for it.
Just as in the opening session on Friday, Lorenzo moved ahead of his Fiat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi after 15 minutes of the hour-long practice, and set about working up another sequence of very fast laps.
But behind him, countryman Dani Pedrosa put together a bundle of quick laps of his own on the steadily improving HRC Honda. So while Lorenzo lowered the mark to 1m56.458, Pedrosa stalked him with his own 1m56.577s.
The pair continued like this through much of the session until 15 minutes from the end when Lorenzo produced an astonishing 1m56.331s, which put the matter out of the question.
Rossi ran his own session in third, some three tenths off the leading pair, but at the same time producing ominously consistent lap times.
In the end the world champion ended the session with a 1m56.787s, as if to remind the pair in front that it is, after all, still only practice.
Colin Edwards continued his strong weekend in fourth place for Tech 3 Yamaha as the Texan traded times with Loris Capirossi's revitalised Suzuki.
Toni Elias was sixth quickest for Gresini Honda while Andrea Dovizioso left it late in the session to move up to seventh on the second of the HRC Repsol Hondas.
Mike Kallio worked his up to eighth as he continues to ingratiate his way in to the factory Ducati squad while Alex de Angelis was ninth.
Nicky Hayden will likely be disappointed with 10th, mainly because the American had spent much of the session in the top six courtesy of a strong lap early in the session. But tweaks through the hour failed to make his Ducati any faster and he dropped down the order.
Pos Rider Bike Time
1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m56.331s
2. Daniel Pedrosa Honda 1m56.462s + 0.131s
3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m56.787s + 0.456s
4. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m57.058s + 0.727s
5. Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m57.384s + 1.053s
6. Toni El�as Gresini Honda 1m57.495s + 1.164s
7. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m58.008s + 1.677s
8. Mika Kallio Ducati 1m58.060s + 1.729s
9. Alex de Angelis Gresini Honda 1m58.111s + 1.780s
10. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m58.252s + 1.921s
11. Marco Melandri Hayate Kawasaki 1m58.368s + 2.037s
12. James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha 1m58.413s + 2.082s
13. Niccol� Canepa Pramac Ducati 1m58.518s + 2.187s
14. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki 1m58.551s + 2.220s
15. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda 1m58.567s + 2.236s
16. Michel Fabrizio Pramac Ducati 1m59.457s + 3.126s
17. G�bor Talmacsi Scot Honda 1m59.645s + 3.314s