The Official MotoGP Test got underway at Valencia on Tuesday as a number of riders got their first action on the new 1000cc capacity machines which will contest the 2012 World Championship. Some had already had their first experiences on board the developing prototypes and were therefore immediately into their rhythm. Repsol Honda pair Dani Pedrosa and Casey were two such riders, having both previously ridden the evolving RC213V. The duo were at the forefront on the timesheet, Pedrosa clocking a 1’32.186 from 40 laps and Stoner a 1’32.322 from 42, as the pair gave further feedback to the Japanese factory on what they had last ridden at Misano. Ben Spies was back on the Yamaha M1 factory bike and was just over a second off Pedrosa’s pace, as the American took on sole testing duties on Yamaha’s 2012 machine with Jorge Lorenzo unable to ride as he continues to recover from a finger injury. Spies, who finished Sunday’s race in second place, put in 73 laps throughout the day as part of a heavy workload, producing a best time of 1’33.226. Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso both had their first contact with the new M1 and Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s 2012 line-up made the most of day one, riding 75 and 49 laps respectively. The Italian makes the switch from Honda and spent some laps adjusting to the 800cc M1 before going out on the more powerful bike once comfortable. Valentino Rossi bore the majority of the Ducati schedule as he put in just over 70 laps. The Italian’s team-mate Nicky Hayden was unable to ride due to a wrist injury he picked up in Sunday’s race, and Rossi pushed on with the development of the GP12, riding an experimental perimetral chassis along with Test rider Franco Battaini. Héctor Barberá (Pramac Racing) and Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) both tried the GP12 for the first time. There were 800cc bikes out on track as well on Tuesday, as Randy de Puniet and Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl both went out. De Puniet was on the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R as he worked with the team to aid them with an alternative perspective on the machine’s potential, amassing 55 laps in the afternoon and posting a best time of 1’33.544. Bradl went out on the LCR Honda RC212V in his first MotoGP ride, enjoying just over 60 laps on his debut on a premier class bike. Interest was also raised by the on-track presence of three CRT machines. Iván Silva rode Inmotec’s prototype with Carmelo Morales on a Suter housing a BMW engine under the Laglisse team banner, whilst Gianluca Nannelli and Federico Sandi shared testing duties of Italian factory Gapam’s machine. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: MOTOGP OFFICIAL TEST VALENCIA Valencia MotoGP Official Test Valencia – Valencia – 08/11/2011 Weather : Dry Temperature : Air: 20 degrees, Ground: 23 degrees Humidity : 53% Repsol Honda Team leads the way on the first day of Valencia Test with the new RC213V Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa were back in action at Valencia circuit today on the new RC213V. Dani Pedrosa set the fastest lap time with 1’32.186 on his final lap of 40 and Casey Stoner who did 42 laps, finished closely behind him with a 1’32.322, recorded on lap 34. The 1000cc prototype included some new parts after feedback from both factory riders when they tested the bike in Brno in August. HRC test rider Kosuke Akiyoshi also joined the Repsol Honda riders in a perfect day for testing, with temperatures reaching 20 degrees and no wind. DANI PEDROSA 1st 1’32.186 “It’s been a good day for testing after so much rain! The track conditions were good which allowed us to work well on the bike and get the first feeling with the new RCV. We made a step forward from August, when I first tried the bike in Brno which is a good thing: we modified the front end a little and I felt the corner entry is better, also under braking. I’m quite satisfied, not because of the lap times but more for the feeling I had. It was a bike test but also a rider test, I feel it’s like a schooling for me also and I enjoyed it. Not only the bike is new, also the tyres are different for these bikes, the engine is new, you have more power and more torque. We’ve been riding 800cc quite a long time and I feel that I need to adapt my riding style a little and it’s interesting. It’s more fun, in general”. CASEY STONER 2nd 1’32.322 “Everything has gone pretty well for us we’re struggling a little bit with the new tyres, we’re finding they are giving us a little bit of chatter on the bike. We compared the bike that we tested in Jerez and Brno to the newer version we have here and we found quite a lot of improvements in some small ways with chattering but we still need to work on this some more. In general it was good to be out there on the 1000 and feel the horsepower, it’s a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to feeling it on a lot of different tracks!”.