From a press release issued by Castrol Honda:

BAYLISS TOPS SUPERBIKE TIMES IN SPAIN

Defending World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss set the fastest time in the three-day pre-season test session which ended at Valencia, Spain on Monday.

The Australian was 0.2s faster than Ducati team-mate Ben Bostrom as Aprilia rider Noriyuki Haga took the third best time on his return to Superbike after finishing runner-up in the 2000 championship.

Spaniard Ruben Xaus was fourth fastest ahead of a disappointed Colin Edwards who ended the test in fifth place and by crashing, without injury, on his very last lap.

Edwards completed 240 laps of the 2.49-mile circuit, more laps than any other rider, and remains in confident mood for the opening round on March 10 at Valencia.

“I had the qualifying tyre in the back of the machine and was going for the big lap,” Edwards explained. “I came out of the left-hand third corner and before I’d changed direction for the right-hander I was down.

“I guess lap 241 was one too many. But we’ve had a very good test and got through a lot of work in readiness for next week’s races here. We’ve also found a really good Michelin race tyre but I need to find a one-lap Superpole tyre that suits me and the machine – that’s what we’ve left Michelin working on before next week’s first round.”

Superbike newcomer Hitoyasu Izutsu was sixth fastest on a Kawasaki with British Ducati rider Neil Hodgson improving on his previous two days’ performance to finish seventh.

Final World Superbike test times:

1 Troy Bayliss, Australia (Ducati) 1:34.261

2 Ben Bostrom, USA (Ducati) 1:34.401

3 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Aprilia) 1:34.777

4 Ruben Xaus, Spain (Ducati) 1:34.908

5 Colin Edwards, USA (Castrol Honda) 1:35.053

6 Hitoyasu Izutsu, Japan (Kawasaki)
1:35.116

7 Neil Hodgson, GB (Ducati) 1:35.459

8 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Kawasaki) 1:35.584

9 Pier-Francesco Chili, Italy (Ducati) 1:35.611

10 Lucio Pedercini, Italy (Ducati) 1:35.618