Spain's Jorge Martin was given the green light to participate in the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) after passing Friday's first free practice session without complications, while his compatriot Marc Marquez regained his balance after an early crash to set the fastest time in the second practice.
The world championship leader had slipped into the gravel trap on the fifth lap, but quickly got back on his Ducati bike to set the best time at the hot Sepang circuit on the thirteenth lap, clocking 1 minute and 57.000 seconds.
The 33-year-old Spaniard also topped the timesheet in the morning session, and will be among the top 10 riders qualifying for Saturday's second qualifying session.
Marquez said, "Except for the minor crash at turn fifteen, which is where I take the most risks, everything was perfect."
His title rival Martin was not among the top ten.
Aprilia rider Martin, who arrived suffering from a wrist fracture sustained during the sprint race at the Australian Grand Prix last week, finished 1.8 seconds behind Marquez, who topped the timesheet with a time of 1 minute and 58.912 seconds on his Ducati bike.
The Aprilia star settled for completing just three laps in the afternoon session, compared to 12 laps in the morning. Martin set his best time of 1 minute and 59.670 seconds, finishing the session in 21st place.
The injured Martin chose to conserve his energy in preparation for a grueling weekend after getting the green light to participate in Sunday's main race.
Paolo Bonora, Aprilia Racing team manager, told the MotoGP.com website: "We decided that Jorge will not continue for the rest of the day. We will see how his condition is in the morning."
Martin had suffered a fracture in his right arm during the sprint race at the Australian Grand Prix last week, but he received clearance to compete on Sunday in an attempt to narrow the 10-point gap separating him from Marquez with four rounds remaining in the season.
His Italian Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who is third in the overall championship standings, also made the top 10 fastest riders list on Friday.
