REPSOL HONDA TEAM WRAPS UP SEPANG MOTOGP TEST The second day of the official MotoGP test at Sepang took place today with the Repsol Honda Team completing another battery of pre-season tests in the blazing Malaysian heat. Despite looming black clouds as the chequered flag came out at 6pm, the circuit was completely dry for the entire two-day test – allowing the teams to make full use of the limited time available for testing before the season opener in Qatar in April. Andrea Dovizioso was happy with his day’s work and brought his lap time down by a further two tenths from yesterday as he completed 46 laps on his Repsol Honda in the oppressive humidity. In the afternoon the Italian completed a three-quarter race distance at a promising pace and, given that the 23-year-old hadn’t been able to extract the maximum from the softer option Bridgestone tyres today, he leaves Sepang in positive spirits. His team-mate Dani Pedrosa was just behind Dovizioso in eighth today after recording his fastest lap on the 56th of his 57 laps – an impressive feat considering the withering heat at Sepang. The Spaniard fought hard all day to improve his machine settings and he and his crew will be looking to take another step forward at the final pre-season test at Qatar, which begins on 18 March. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 2m 01.439s “If we consider the two days in total this second test session has represented a big step forward compared to the last time we came here at the beginning of February. I’m satisfied that we could lap consistently and for the race this is very important. We did a race simulation and the pace with race tyres was good. Today I can’t be totally satisfied with seventh on the timesheets and this was because I wasn’t able to use the soft tyre at its best to improve the lap time. It’s something we’ll have to analyse because getting a good grid position for the race is important. Of course there is still work to do to get closer to Valentino and Casey, but anyway, all-in-all I’m very confident.” DANI PEDROSA “We put in a lot of work today and tried many things on the machine to improve our pace. We made some progress with the feeling from the engine which is positive, though we didn’t really get the results we were looking for elsewhere, and some of the issues we had yesterday are still there. So, there’s plenty for us still to do before Qatar. The team is working really hard and we’re positive that there’s a lot more to come. Of course I can’t say that eighth is where I want to be on the timesheets at the end of this test, so we’ll definitely look to move things forward in Qatar.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: The second official MotoGP test of 2010 was completed on Friday at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, with Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi setting the fastest time. Rossi’s time of 2’00.271 on his M1 machine on Friday laid down the marker and was 0.247s faster than the lap which secured him pole position at the circuit for the 2009 Grand Prix. Hot on his heels were Casey Stoner (2’00.512) and the Australian’s Ducati Marlboro team-mate Nicky Hayden (2’00.703), as the duo felt the full benefit of the new Desmosedici GP10 engine. Hayden’s time was an improvement of just over 1.5s on his Thursday best lap. Making it three Yamahas inside the top five times were Monster Yamaha Tech3 pairing Colin Edwards and Ben Spies. The former overcame electronic problems from Thursday to post a best lap of 2’00.988 on Friday the fourth and final rider of the test to come in under the 2’01″ barrier whilst rookie Spies’ time of 2’01.014 shows that he is already finding a superb level with his M1 as he prepares for his first full season in MotoGP in 2010. The Rizla Suzuki team tested their new GSV-R engine for the first time at this test and veteran Loris Capirossi made progressive improvements across the two days to post a 2’01.320 on Friday. Repsol Honda riders Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa were seventh and eighth fastest respectively on their RC212V machines. Dovizioso enjoyed a productive two days and on the second went round in 2’01.439, whilst Pedrosa was 0.039s behind. The Spaniard experienced a fall on Thursday and was uninjured, returning to the track later in the day and working throughout Friday as well. Rookie Hiroshi Aoyama made impressive strides throughout the two days, with the Interwetten Honda MotoGP rider ninth in the timings with a 2’01.692 set on Friday. Fellow MotoGP debutant Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) set a best time of 2’01.732, despite having hurt his arm the previous day in a slide. Randy de Puniet of the LCR Honda team was the final rider to break the 2’02″ mark with his 2’01.980, and was followed on the timesheet by Mika Kallio who completed the highest number of laps across the two days (just over 140). Marco Melandri of the San Carlo Honda Gresini team continued to adapt to the RC212V, and rookies Héctor Barberá (Paginas Amarillas Ducati), and Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) whose fall on Thursday had no ill effects were all present as they amassed laps on their respective Desmosedici machines. Another MotoGP debutant for this season, Marco Simoncelli of San Carlo Honda Gresini, suffered a crash early on Friday morning after completing just two laps, cutting short his day’s work. Simoncelli was taken to hospital as a precaution and confirmed later in the day he was uninjured. A notable absentee from this test was Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, who is still recuperating from a training accident which happened two weeks ago in which he injured his right hand. Official MotoGP tyre supplier Bridgestone made two new tyre specifications available to all riders for this test: a medium rear compound for 2010 which is a softer option qualifying tyre and not a race tyre and a new front tyre compound to be used for 2011. The third official test of the year takes place in Qatar from March 17-19, with the MotoGP World Championship getting underway at the Losail International Circuit on April 11th. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Edwards and Spies shine in Sepang sauna The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team concluded the second of three 2010 pre-season tests in Sepang today in confident mood after Colin Edwards and Ben Spies both finished in the top five on the timesheets. In searing hot temperatures that peaked at an exhausting 37 degrees, Edwards rode his 2010 YZR-M1 machine to the fourth fastest time, the experienced American finishing with a best lap of 2.00.988. After completing 35-laps, Edwards declared himself delighted with his performance after he made significant progress in improving electronics and handling with his YZR-M1 machine. He was also happy with the performance of a new Bridgestone rear tyre he evaluated this afternoon to finish just under 0.3s away from a top three finish. Spies once again proved what a phenomenally fast learner he is after posting a series of consistently competitive lap times on only his second visit to the long and technical Sepang circuit. A best lap of 2.01.014 was just 0.026s slower than Edwards and the reigning World Superbike champion was able to significantly reduce the gap between himself and the best time clocked by Valentino Rossi to just over 0.7s. Spies was also able to showcase his prowess on worn race tyres when he completed a long distance run today, the 25-year-old reeling off consistent and fast laps in the 2.01 bracket. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team concludes its pre-season preparations in Qatar next month ahead of the first race under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit on April 11. Colin Edwards 4th 2.00.988 35 laps “It felt really hot out there today and I don’t think anybody was going to do a lot of laps in those conditions. I did 35 laps and all of them were productive and I’m leaving this test really happy. I worked on the electronics and a bit of suspension work today and I was happy with the new Bridgestone rear tyre. We did full race distance on it in the middle of the day when it was really hot and I was still doing 2.02s on the last lap. So it really keeps a good level of grip for a long time. I feel ready to race right now. We’ve got the bike sorted out and the last test in Qatar should be another positive test to set us up nicely for the first race. We’re ready to go because Yamaha has done a fantastic job. Everything they have done has improved the bike and that’s a great achievement. I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 again for all their hard work and congratulate Ben too. This is a tough track to learn but he’s doing a great job and he is impressing a lot of people. We’re working really closely together and that is going to be great to help the team have another great year.” Ben Spies 5th 2.01.014 44 laps “It has been a positive test for me again because I have been able to improve my lap time by quite a bit. I’m 0.8s quicker than yesterday so that is a good step in the right direction. I did a race simulation and all my laps were in the 2.01s. I’ve always felt good at the end of races and I think that is what my strong point has been in the past. In Valencia when I raced the Yamaha for the first time I came on strong at the end. When the tyres go off I feel a little bit better. I didn’t quite get to improve on my overall position but I’m convinced I had the speed to get into the high 2s, but I was only able to use one of the softer Bridgestone tyres. But all in all it has been a positive day and the gap to the front has become smaller again.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: MotoGP test Sepang, Malaysia 26.2.2010. Final day of two day test. Weather: Morning partly cloudy, afternoon sunshine. Temperature: Air: 35°C, ground 52°. Humidity 84%. Dovizioso the fastest RC212V Honda rider on final day at Sepang MotoGP test The second day of the planned two day MotoGP test at the Sepang circuit, Malaysia, was run in near perfect conditions and gave the Honda mounted grand prix riders an ideal opportunity to test the latest version of the RC212V machine to its limits. Five of the six RCV riders set their fastest time today. Italian Andrea Dovizioso was again the fastest RCV rider today shaving two tenths of a second off his best time of yesterday. Dovizioso had made consistent progress over the two days running a fast pace on race tyres but experiencing problems while running the softer compound tyres. That left the Italian less than pleased as it left him down in seventh place on the time sheet, but the overall performance at the test boosted his confidence and assuring him that the team is working in the right direction. Dovizioso’s team mate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, enjoyed a better day today to record eighth fastest time, just behind Dovizioso.. Pedrosa worked hard all day in the high temperatures and made good progress with improved feeling from the engine of his RCV but struggled with chassis set up and leaves Sepang with several issues unsolved. The MotoGP test at Qatar on March 18 will be of vital importance to Pedrosa in preparation for his season. The most surprising performance of the day was put in by Interwetten Honda rider Hiro Aoyama, the reigning 250cc World Champion, who slashed eight-tenths of a second off his previous best lap time at the 5.548km Sepang circuit. The Japanese star had found a very good base set up for his RCV yesterday a solid base to work from that saw Aoyama improve with each session. Had he not taken a sickness enforced rest in the early afternoon he is sure to have improved still further. The San Carlo Honda Gresini teamsters, Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli both crashed at Sepang today. Melandri escaped unscathed from his fall but the Italian could not get good feed-back from the softer compound tyres ad his lap times suffered. Melandri goes into the next test with a lot of catch-up work to do. Team mate Marco Simoncelli completed only two complete laps today before his test ended. He crashed at turn seven, when he lost the rear end and high-sided landing heavily on his head. He was taken to the medical centre at the circuit but released when no after effects were discovered. Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda, enjoyed better fortunes on day two of the test. His LCR mechanics revised the geometry of the RC212V and he immediately felt more comfortable. However, the Frenchman could not get the best out of the new, softer compound, front tyres. Despite the slight set-back De Puniet will go into the next test, at Qatar, on March 18, in more confident mood. Honda rider quotes and lap times. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 7th. 2m 01.439s. “If we consider the two days in total this second test session has represented a big step forward compared to the last time we came here at the beginning of February. I’m satisfied that we could lap consistently and for the race this is very important. We did a race simulation and the pace with race tyres was good. Today I can’t be totally satisfied with seventh on the timesheets and this was because I wasn’t able to use the soft tyre at its best to improve the lap time. It’s something we’ll have to analyse because getting a good grid position for the race is important. Of course there is still work to do to get closer to Valentino and Casey, but anyway, all-in-all I’m very confident.” Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 8th. 2m 01.478s. “We put in a lot of work today and tried many things on the machine to improve our pace. We made some progress with the feeling from the engine which is positive, though we didn’t really get the results we were looking for elsewhere, and some of the issues we had yesterday are still there. So, there’s plenty for us still to do before Qatar. The team is working really hard and we’re positive that there’s a lot more to come. Of course I can’t say that eighth is where I want to be on the timesheets at the end of this test, so we’ll definitely look to move things forward in Qatar.” Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda: 9th. 2m 01.692s “This morning we started with a base set up that I liked and I could improve lap time. My feeling improved and I’m quite satisfied. In the afternoon I had to stop for a while because I was not feeling well. I think I drank something wrong. Anyway, later I could do some more laps and my race pace was more consistent. Of course we have to work hard but I’m confident and there is a lot of room for improvement.” Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 11th. “Today we worked on the geometry of the bike and I started to feel a bit more comfortable. We need to improve the weight distribution together with chassis and suspension set up. we couldn’t improve the lap times with the soft tyre and this is an issue we need to focus on. Anyway we tested many items here and excluded many questions mark so I’m confident and I look forward to Qatar test.” Marco Melandri, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 12th. 2m 02.078s “Today we struggled more than I expected. I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and in particular I cannot use the soft tyre at its best so I couldn’t improve my lap times. We need to work hard as we are behind. Qatar test will be very important in preparation of the race.” Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 16th. 2m 03.689s “Considering how I crashed I’m lucky to have no injuries. It was during my first exit this morning that at turn seven, I lost the front, I tried to keep the bike but I lost the rear and then I had a high side. Now I’m feeling much better. Looking forward we need to work a lot to improve the feeling with the bike, we need to work of the weight balance, testing different chassis and suspension set up. I need to understand this bike to master it and to make it turn how I want. Now I look forward to Qatar test. Today we can say that we didn’t test as I completed only 2 laps.” Practice times: 1 Valentino. Rossi, Fiat Yamaha: 2m 00.271s 2 Casey Stoner, Marlboro Ducati: 2m 00.512s 3 Nicky Hayden, Marlboro Ducati: 2m 00.703s 4 Colin Edwards, Yamaha Tech3: 2m 00.988s. 5. Ben Spies, Yamaha Tech3: 2m 01.014s 6 Loris Capirossi, Rizla Suzuki: 2m 01.320s. 7 Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 2m 01.439s 8 Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 01.478s. 9 Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda: 2m 01.692s. 10 Alvaro Bautista, Rizla Suzuki: 2m 01.732s. 11 Randy de Puniet, LRC Honda: 2m 01.980s. 12. Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 2m 02.078s 13 Hector Barbera, Aspar MotoGP Team: 2m 02.080s 14. Mikka Kallio, Pramac Ducati: 2m 02.082s. 15 Aleix Espargaro, Pramac Ducati: 2m 02.367s. 16. Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 2m 03.689s (2 laps). More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: STRONG FINISH TO SEPANG TEST BY DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM The Ducati Marlboro Team completed the second and final day of testing at Sepang, Malaysia, today with both riders extremely satisfied with the performance of their Desmosedici GP10 machines. Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden were both in highly competitive form today, clocking the second and third fastest times of the session respectively. Like the rest of the riders the pair used the first three hours of the session, from 10am to 1pm, followed by a further two hours from 4pm to 6pm to do the majority of their set-up work. Slightly cooler temperatures at that time of the day compared to the intense early afternoon heat provided the most suitable conditions. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) 2nd fastest, 2’00.512 (33 laps) “When we first went out this morning the track conditions were a huge improvement on yesterday thanks to the slightly cooler temperatures, which meant the track was less slippery. That allowed us to get the best out of the bike and we were able to set some fast times. We started out with the same setting we finished with yesterday, which I already liked, and we changed just a couple of things and were able to immediately set a strong pace. It is just a shame that the red flag came out right after we put the new medium tyre on. I missed out on a few laps because of that but it wasn’t a big deal. We are really satisfied with the package we have now and the progress we have made so far. If you ask me I’d say we are starting off from a stronger base than last year so now we’ll just have to wait and see if we can get straight on the pace in Qatar.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd fastest, 2’00.703 (42 laps) “I am obviously really happy because the changes we made yesterday afternoon that enabled me to go a couple of tenths faster despite the heat have proved to work even better today with the track in improved condition. After making small steps for the last few test sessions today we have finally taken a big leap forward and I was able to ride fast. The arm wasn’t too bad but it still isn’t as strong as before, which I can feel more than anything in the hard braking, and it was hard work today. Anyway, I am recovering well and now we move on from Sepang feeling really happy.” Sepang Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2007) 2’02.108 Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2009), 2’00.518 Unofficial lap times – Friday 26th February 1. Rossi (Yamaha) 2:00.271 2. Stoner(Ducati) 2:00.512 3. Hayden (Ducati) 2:00.703 4. Edwards(Yamaha) 2:00.988 5. Spies (Yamaha) 2:01.014 6. Capirossi (Suzuki) 2:01.320 7. Dovizioso (Honda) 2:01.439 8. Pedrosa (Honda) 2:01.478 9. Aoyama (Honda) 2:01.692 10. Bautista (Suzuki) 2:01.732 11. De Puniet (Honda) 2:01.980 12. Melandri (Honda) 2:02.078 13. Barbera (Ducati) 2:02.080 14. Kallio (Ducati) 2:02.082 15. Espargaro (Ducati) 2:02.367 16. Simoncelli (Honda) 2:03.689 More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi signed off the second pre-season test of the year on top once again in Malaysia today, meaning he has been fastest at all four days of testing so far this year. The Italian smashed his own pole record by almost three tenths of a second, proving that he and the new YZR-M1 are on track for the season’s start in a month’s time. Rossi spent the final day of the test trying electronic packages, a new tyre for Bridgestone and just double-checking all the work done so far. He also had time to do a few laps on the Japanese test team’s bike, providing them with important feedback for the future development of the M1. The 31-year-old set his best lap of 2’00.271 on his 12th of 39 laps, with Casey Stoner second once again in a time of 2’00.512. It was a good day for Yamaha, with Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies fourth and fifth respectively. The next and final pre-season test comes at Qatar on 18th and 19th March, by which time Rossi’s injured team-mate Jorge Lorenzo hopes to have made a full recovery and to be back in action. Valentino Rossi – Position: 1st Time: 2’00.271 Laps: 39 “I’m really happy to have beaten my pole record, it’s a good feeling to be this fast in testing. I did this with an old tyre but we also got the chance to try a very good new tyre from Bridgestone today, which I hope we will use from the first race. Our bike is in great shape; we need to do a bit more work on the electronics but in general everything is better, especially the rear grip and the engine. Yamaha have been very clever to develop this new bike whilst keeping the best parts of the old one, I’m very happy about it. It was good to get the chance to try the Japanese test bike, hopefully the feedback I gave them will help us in the future. Now we go to Qatar and then we will see our level because it is not one of mine or Yamaha’s best tracks! But we’re in great shape and this is very important at this stage of the season. I’m really looking forward to it.” Edwards and Spies shine in Sepang sauna The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team concluded the second of three 2010 pre-season tests in Sepang today in confident mood after Colin Edwards and Ben Spies both finished in the top five on the timesheets. In searing hot temperatures that peaked at an exhausting 37 degrees, Edwards rode his 2010 YZR-M1 machine to the fourth fastest time, the experienced American finishing with a best lap of 2.00.988. After completing 35-laps, Edwards declared himself delighted with his performance after he made significant progress in improving electronics and handling with his YZR-M1 machine. He was also happy with the performance of a new Bridgestone rear tyre he evaluated this afternoon to finish just under 0.3s away from a top three finish. Spies once again proved what a phenomenally fast learner he is after posting a series of consistently competitive lap times on only his second visit to the long and technical Sepang circuit. A best lap of 2.01.014 was just 0.026s slower than Edwards and the reigning World Superbike champion was able to significantly reduce the gap between himself and the best time clocked by Valentino Rossi to just over 0.7s. Spies was also able to showcase his prowess on worn race tyres when he completed a long distance run today, the 25-year-old reeling off consistent and fast laps in the 2.01 bracket. Colin Edwards – Position: 4th Time: 2’00.988 Laps: 35 “It felt really hot out there today and I don’t think anybody was going to do a lot of laps in those conditions. I did 35 laps and all of them were productive and I’m leaving this test really happy. I worked on the electronics and a bit of suspension work today and I was happy with the new Bridgestone rear tyre. We did full race distance on it in the middle of the day when it was really hot and I was still doing 2.02s on the last lap. So it really keeps a good level of grip for a long time. I feel ready to race right now. We’ve got the bike sorted out and the last test in Qatar should be another positive test to set us up nicely for the first race. We’re ready to go because Yamaha has done a fantastic job. Everything they have done has improved the bike and that’s a great achievement. I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 again for all their hard work and congratulate Ben too. This is a tough track to learn but he’s doing a great job and he is impressing a lot of people. We’re working really closely together and that is going to be great to help the team have another great year.” Ben Spies – Position: 5th Time: 2’01.014 Laps: 44 “It has been a positive test for me again because I have been able to improve my lap time by quite a bit. I’m 0.8s quicker than yesterday so that is a good step in the right direction. I did a race simulation and all my laps were in the 2.01s. I’ve always felt good at the end of races and I think that is what my strong point has been in the past. In Valencia when I raced the Yamaha for the first time I came on strong at the end. When the tyres go off I feel a little bit better. I didn’t quite get to improve on my overall position but I’m convinced I had the speed to get into the high 2s, but I was only able to use one of the softer Bridgestone tyres. But all in all it has been a positive day and the gap to the front has become smaller again.” Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’00.271 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’00.512 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’00.703 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’00.988 5. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.014 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’01.320 7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2’01.439 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2’01.478 9. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2’01.692 10. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’01.732 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2’01.980 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’02.078 13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2’02.080 14. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 2’02.082 15. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 2’02.367 16. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’03.689 Sepang: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2’02.108 Sepang: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2009, 2’00.518 More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: KALLIO AND ESPARGARO’ DISAPPOINTED AFTER SEPANG TEST Not the best day for the Pramac Racing Team that with its riders, Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargarò, don’t make it to improve yesterday’s recorded lap times on the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The Finnish rider has concluded with the eighth best time yesterday but today is wasn’t able to improve it and concluded in the fourteenth place. Instead, her partner team, Espargarò, has improved his best lap time by a tenth of a second, but not enough to go further then the sixteenth place. The Pramac Racing Team riders will have to improve in the coming winter test, to be held in Qatar on March 18th and 19th, in order to begin the 2010 MotoGP season at the best. Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing rider – 14th best lap time in 2’02.082 “Yesterday in the late afternoon we had found a good technical compromise and this had given us confidence for the last working day here at Sepang, but things have not gone as we expected. I feel very well with the new bike but perhaps I have yet to find total confidence to push to the maximum. We cannot make any more mistake in the next test in Qatar next month.” Aleix Espargarò – Pramac Racing rider – 15th best lap time in 2’02.447 “This morning I was feeling well and I wasn’t doing so bad, but then in the afternoon I was unable to make the step forward as most of my colleagues have done and I was back in the classification. Anyway I remain very confident because I sure have all the possibility in order to do well. I am very pleased to see the two official Ducati in the top three: I am sure we will find soon the right solution to fight for the best positions as well.” More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: THREE AMERICANS IN TOP FIVE OF MotoGP TEST AT MALAYSIA Hayden third, Edwards fourth, Spies fifth overall at Sepang INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 If the results of the latest test are any indication, it could be a star-spangled season in MotoGP. American riders Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards and Ben Spies seized three of the top five spots in a MotoGP test Feb. 25-26 at the Sepang Circuit near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Eighteen riders tested to prepare for the 2010 season, which includes the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sunday, Aug. 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Valentino Rossi led with a top lap of 2:00.271 on his Fiat Yamaha at the 15-turn, 3.447-mile Sepang track. 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner was second overall at 2:00.512 on his Ducati. 2006 World Champion Hayden, from Owensboro, Ky., was third at 2:00.703 on his Ducati. Edwards, from Houston, was fourth at 2:00.988, while his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate and fellow Texan Spies, from Longview, Texas, was fifth at 2:01.014. Hayden’s strong showing came after a sluggish first day of testing in which he was only 11th overall. Hayden admitted Feb. 25 that he took it easy on the first day, as he is recovering from recent arm surgery. “I am obviously really happy because the changes we made yesterday afternoon that enabled me to go a couple of tenths faster despite the heat have proved to work even better today with the track in improved condition,” Hayden said. “After making small steps for the last few test sessions, today we have finally taken a big leap forward, and I was able to ride fast. The arm wasn’t too bad but it still isn’t as strong as before, which I can feel more than anything in the hard braking, and it was hard work today. Anyway, I am recovering well, and now we move on from Sepang feeling really happy.” Edwards focused on improving the electronics on his Yamaha and also helping his teammate and friend, rookie Spies, adjust to MotoGP machinery. It was a refreshing change from 2009, when Edwards and teammate James Toseland rarely worked together due to an acrimonious crew chief swap orchestrated by Toseland during the offseason. “I did 35 laps and all of them were productive, and I’m leaving this test really happy,” Edwards said. “We did full race distance on it in the middle of the day when it was really hot and I was still doing 2:02’s on the last lap. I feel ready to race right now. “I want to thank my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 again for all their hard work and congratulate Ben, too. This is a tough track to learn. But he’s doing a great job, and he is impressing a lot of people. We’re working really closely together, and that is going to be great to help the team have another great year.” 2009 Superbike World Champion Spies continued his nearly seamless transition into the premier category of worldwide motorcycle racing at Sepang. He worked both days on adapting his riding style to MotoGP machinery on worn tires, preparing for race conditions. “It has been a positive test for me again because I have been able to improve my lap time by quite a bit,” Spies said. “I’m 0.8 seconds quicker than yesterday, so that is a good step in the right direction. I did a race simulation and all my laps were in the 2:01’s.” The final preseason test is March 17-19 at the Losail Circuit in Qatar, where the 2010 MotoGP season opens April 11 with the Grand Prix of Qatar. *** IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. In 2009, the Speedway began the three-year celebration of its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011. Tickets can be purchased online at www.imstix.com at any time. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has completed the penultimate test of the 2010 MotoGP pre-season schedule with some encouraging results from Sepang in Malaysia. New signing Alvaro Bautista (2’01.732, 59 laps) made huge steps during the latest two day test at the 5,548m Sepang International circuit. Suzuki’s new Spanish star shaved over two-and-a-half seconds from his fastest time from the previous test and is still certain there is more to come as he continues his acquaintance with the Suzuki GSV-R. Unfortunately his progress was hampered by a small low-slide crash on day one from which he escaped unhurt and a very large slide later in the same day which, although there was no crash, forced him to receive treatment to a torn muscle in his left arm. This restricted his performance on the second day and meant he was unable to get as much time on the bike as he wanted. Loris Capirossi (2,01.320, 102 laps) showed his intent on day one of the two-day test by recording a time of 2’01.687 nearly half-of-a-second better than his best time at Sepang earlier this month. He improved further still on that time during day two, delivering a quickest time of 2’01.321 to give him sixth place overall at the end of testing. Capirossi used the test to evaluate the 2010 ‘long-life’ engine specification for the Suzuki GSV-R and was pleased with the preliminary results. He also completed a near-full race simulation in the later part of the day which resulted in interesting feedback and data. Bautista and Capirossi recorded their best times on the harder compound rear tyres that will be the ones used in a race situation rather than the softer compound that will be most likely favoured as a qualifying tyre. Both riders also conducted a series of tests on new chassis components and various other performance strategies. The team was ably assisted by Test Rider Nobuatsu Aoki, who completed a thorough and comprehensive shake-down test on Wednesday to prepare the bikes for Bautista and Capirossi. The results of this and the previous test In Malaysia will now be analysed back at Suzuki’s HQ in Hamamatsu to prepare the GSV-R for the final pre-season test at Doha in Qatar next month. Rizla Suzuki will next be in action at the Qatar test in mid-March, this will be last chance Bautista, Capirossi and the engineers get the chance to improve the Suzuki GSV-R at a racetrack before the season kicks off with the first race of the season also in Qatar on Sunday 11th April. Alvaro Bautista: “I am very happy with this test and it shows that we have improved a big amount since the last test here. It was a bit of a strange day today because I did improve my time, but after nearly crashing yesterday I was in a lot of pain and it made it very difficult to ride, so I was not able to do too many laps. It has been a good test though and I am happy with the direction we are going in. I still need to get some parts of the bike improved and I am sure we will make more steps in Qatar. I feel very happy with most things at the moment, the team is very good and we are all working together very well and I am finally starting to ride the bike how I want to!” Loris Capirossi: “Overall the test has been not too bad and I think we are in a reasonable situation at the moment. I used the new engine and it does seem to have some improvement in performance from the one we used at the end of last season. I tried some new traction control strategies and they seem to be a bit better, but we really need to understand how the bike is going to perform in colder conditions, so the test in Qatar will be very important. Two days of testing at a time is not enough to try and get everything done and make the changes we need, but it is the same for everyone so we have to try and do our best. I have asked Suzuki if they can make some improvements for the chassis in time for Qatar and they say that they will be able to, so that is positive and it will help us understand how much we have improved since last year.” Sepang MotoGP Winter Test Classification: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2’00.271: 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.241: 3. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) +0432: 4. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.717: 5. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +0.743: 6. LORIS CAPIROSII (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.049: 10. ALVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.461: