Rossi fastest over two days of Sepang test MotoGP Official Test at Sepang, Malaysia Friday 5 February Report The first official MotoGP test of 2010 concluded in Malaysia on Friday, with Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi the fastest of the premier class riders across both days. Wednesday was a day for test riders only, with the official MotoGP team riders having Thursday and Friday to work on their 2010 bikes. The weather played a part throughout Friday with conditions wet at the scheduled start of 9am local time, and for a period between 11am and 12pm there was little activity on track. Afternoon sunshine improved the situation after 1pm, when both Rossi and Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner appeared. Shaving 0.486s off his Thursday best time, World Champion Rossi’s 2’00.925 on the 20th of 32 laps on his factory YZR-M1 prototype was the only sub-2’01″ time, as he left a gap of 0.395s to Stoner. The Australian was also second fastest to Rossi on Thursday, and Stoner’s 2’01.320 on Friday was over half a second quicker than his previous day’s time as he continued to feel the benefit of the Ducati Desmosedici GP10, which he says is very well balanced. Rossi’s team-mate and rival and the third quickest rider on Friday, Jorge Lorenzo, was 0.755s behind the Italian’s pace with a best of 2’01.680. The Spaniard was pleased with the general direction of the developments on his bike, and his fastest time was a marked improvement as he produced 60 laps, the most of any of the 17 riders on Friday. Dani Pedrosa knocked over a full second off his time as he made real progress on the RC212V. The Repsol Honda rider carried on working on Öhlins suspension, and was happy with the weight distribution as he recorded the fourth fastest lap of the day at 2’01.822. Appearing to have recovered from the jetlag that made day one tough, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Ben Spies was fifth on the sheet as he clocked in at 2’02.266 on Friday. The American achieved well over the half-second improvement he targeted following his first day, taking 0.876s off his time as he continued his acclimatisation to the M1. Pedrosa’s team-mate Andrea Dovizioso’s work on his RC212V produced the sixth fastest time, as the Italian’s adaptation to new electronics allowed a lap of 2’02.272, whilst Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was 0.207s further down the timesheet after his positive reaction to the throttle on the new M1. On their respective GP10 bikes Ducati Marlboro rider Nicky Hayden (2’02.493) and Pramac Racing’s Aleix Espargaró (2’02.647) both displayed progress, whilst Loris Capirossi of the Rizla Suzuki team was pleased with the three different types of chassis he tried out, registering at 2’02.763 after 48 laps. Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) completed 55 laps and was 11th fastest, with Héctor Barberá (Team Aspar), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP) following. Marco Simoncelli experienced a highside on his RC212V around midday, but re-emerged by 3pm to continue uninjured. The San Carlo Honda Gresini man was 15th on the timesheet, with fellow rookie Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) and Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) next. During the test, MSMA representatives met at the Sepang International Circuit to discuss the future engine rules for the MotoGP class. Back in December, following talks between MotoGP’s governing body the FIM, series rights holder Dorna Sports and the MSMA, the Grand Prix Commission agreed to change the maximum engine capacity of the MotoGP class to 1000cc for the 2012 season. Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta indicated the projected changes were received favourably, and that a further meeting to be held later this month in Barcelona should allow the opportunity for further definition of the new technical rules for the premier class. More, from a press release issued by Monster Tech3 Yamaha: Malaysia – Sepang – 5th February 2010 Ben Spies and Colin Edwards happy with Sepang test The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team ended its first track action of 2010 in positive mood after a rain-hit final day of MotoGP testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. Colin Edwards and Ben Spies were unable to begin any meaningful testing until the track had completely dried this afternoon after heavy morning rain badly disrupting this morning’s session. Once damp patches had cleared though the Texan duo were able to make significant progress, taking full advantage of the valuable track time before further heavy rain brought an early end to proceedings at 5pm. Texan Spies showed more of his true potential today when he clocked the fifth quickest time, despite the reigning World Superbike champion still feeling below his physical best. Working closely with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew, Spies focused his efforts on continuing to adapt his riding style to the YZR-M1 machine. The American made significant progress with his braking style and managed to slice close to a second off his best lap time set yesterday with a time of 2.02.266 in his 31-lap stint. Edwards, who was third quickest yesterday, finished seventh fastest with a best time of 2.02.479. That was just 0.2s slower than Spies as the 35-year-old evaluated several different chassis and swingarm setting options. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad will be back on track at Sepang for another two-day test session later this month before winter testing concludes in Qatar in March. Ben Spies 5th 2.02.266 31 laps “I rode as good and as hard as I could considering how I’ve been feeling. I’m not wanting to make any excuses but I didn’t feel really good with the jetlag. It was still a good test because I learned a lot about improving my riding and adapting my style to suit the Yamaha MotoGP bike. It is hard to break some of my old superbike habits at the moment but I made some big improvements in a couple of places on the track where I was really struggling, particularly in the braking. It started to feel more natural today and I got down to some decent times on race tyres. I was a second faster than the first day, so we made some good progress but this is a really difficult track to learn. This track is really long and really wide, but I got to a respectable pace. I’ve said it a load of times but it’s a learning process and every lap I’m learning. My guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 though have been brilliant again. We’re all putting in a lot of effort and I’m pleased with the steps I’ve made.” Colin Edwards 7th 2.02.479 42 laps “This has been a great test and I’m really happy. The big bonus of the test has been the performance of the engine. Putting it simply it seems they have made the engine with more power and more reliable. Accelerating off the corner was a problem last season but with the new engine it is a strong point. I tried a few things with the chassis and at this stage of the year it is all about crossing off pieces that work and those that don’t. We found a couple of things that improved the bike and gave me more confidence and a couple of things we need to work on. It’s been a great first test and hopefully we can carry this momentum on for the rest of the pre-season and into the serious business of the racing.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Capirossi sixth in Malaysia after constructive first test for Rizla Suzuki Rizla Suzuki has completed the first Malaysian test of 2010 after two days of detailed testing, following a single day’s set-up work by test rider Nobuatsu Aoki, gave the team plenty of information. Loris Capirossi had a good start to the test by recording the fourth fastest time on the timesheets on his Suzuki GSV-R during day one. His 2’02.102 from the 58 laps was also good enough to give him sixth place overall for the whole test. Capirossi spent day two running through a very detailed test programme and was unable to improve on his time during his 48 further laps, after the track had dried out from early morning rain. New signing Álvaro Bautista equipped himself well at the 5,548m Sepang International Circuit during his first visit on an 800cc Grand Prix bike. He completed 88 laps during the two days and recorded a quickest time of 2’03.274. Bautista got into a good rhythm throughout the test and made many changes to his GSV-R to get the set-up right for his riding style, whilst improving steadily on his lap-time. Capirossi and Bautista will now both head off to Suzuki’s headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan before returning to Sepang for the second test later this month. The two will be in race action at the first event of the year at Losail in Qatar on Sunday 11th April. Loris Capirossi: “I was quite happy with the lap-time and the consistent rhythm on the first day, because we know there is still a lot to come from the Factory for this year’s bike. We were able to test two new chassis and we are now much clearer on our direction to improve more. I go to the Suzuki Factory before the next test, so I will be able to give some more direct feedback to the engineering group. I got quite frustrated today, because I always want to go quicker and the work today was really detailed stuff – but we have to improve the bike so I have to do it! I am excited for the next test to see what our guys can come up with, including the new engine spec, and I want to keep improving.” Álvaro Bautista: “It was a good test and I managed to learn a lot. This was my first time here on the MotoGP bike after a long time without riding, and it was amazing how much faster everything seemed to happen compared to the 250! Day one just felt like starting all over again! I made steps with my speed and it was a shame we lost some practice this morning due to the rain, but even with this the team improved the feeling of the bike a lot and now I think I can start to push more . I am now looking forward to the next test and we certainly have a good base, and I feel ready to work when we get back to Sepang later this month.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “This has been a good shake-down test and has answered some questions for us, but we still need to find the correct solutions in one or two areas. The engineers will take the information back to Japan and the race department guys will be working flat out to find the necessary improvements for the next two tests. At the moment, I have to really thank Loris because we rely on him to give us the direction, and this means he has a really detailed workload! It’s tough for him because he knows he can go so much quicker when the base is fixed, but he also knows that we have to improve the bike a lot to avoid the same problems as 2009. We would rather leave Sepang a bit further down the order than 2009 but have a better race bike come the first GP! “Álvaro is working well, riding within himself and learning everything step by step. His riding style changed a little over the 2 days and he’s gradually becoming a MotoGP rider! At the moment he is doing everything we are asking of him, he improved steadily over the test and we are convinced that we will start to see big steps when he gets into the full rhythm of riding a MotoGP bike. Overall we are quite positive after this first test, but we all still know there is a lot more to do to achieve our targets.” Sepang Winter Test Overall Times: 1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2’00.925: 2. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 2’01.320: 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2’01.680: 4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 2’01.822: 5. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 2’01.932: 6. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI) 2’02.102: 17. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI) 2’03.274: More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: PRODUCTIVE SECOND DAY AT SEPANG FOR REPSOL HONDA TEAM Despite rain at the beginning and the end of the day at the Sepang International Circuit, the Repsol Honda Team were able to make use of some valuable track time today as the first two-day MotoGP test of 2010 came to a close in Malaysia. Dani Pedrosa improved his time from yesterday by more than a second and finished the day in fourth place overall – a respectable performance as he gets to grips with the 2010 Honda RC212V on Ohlins suspension ahead of the coming season. The Spaniard also took advantage of the rain in the morning to get his first taste of the new machine and enhanced electronic package on a wet track. His Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso also made advances today, joining Pedrosa on the damp track at the outset, before winding up the pace as things dried out. The Italian shaved 0.4s off his time from yesterday as he and his crew continued the detailed testing programme designed to dial in the settings for this year’s factory machine. Dovizioso focused on suspension set-up predominantly, reporting that the electronics have improved many areas of the RC212V’s dynamic performance. The first race of the 2010 season takes place under the floodlights of the Losail circuit, Qatar, on Sunday 11 April, 2010. But before that, the Repsol Honda Team will complete another two days at Sepang on 25-26 February, and a final pre-season test in Qatar starting on 18 March. Dani Pedrosa – Best lap 2m 01.822s 50 laps “We got through a lot more testing today and I can say that we improved significantly – and that’s important in terms of finding a good direction to follow. We were working mainly on the rear suspension and we’ve managed to collect a lot of data that should help us for the next test here in two weeks’ time. We were also testing swingarms and at the end of the day I could feel the improvements, and so I’m happy about that. Yesterday it took me longer to get into a rhythm on the machine because it was the first day back in the saddle, but today it was much better – though I’m not at 100 per cent yet. To have the second test here in just two weeks time is really good for us. I haven’t asked for new parts because me and the team think it’s better to analyse what we’ve found here and focus on that. I’m going home satisfied.” Andrea Dovizioso – Best lap 2m 02.272s 52 laps “I leave Sepang feeling positive and I’m confident for the next test because we have clear ideas about the direction we have to follow. Today we worked on the suspension and tested some set-up options – with positive results. I’m happy because, thanks to the electronics, the package has improved in all aspects – but there is still a job to do. In particular we need to take another step forward regarding the balance. I’m confident that we can work on this at next test session here in Sepang. Today we were always running on hard tyres and we didn’t look for ultimate lap times. I think the next Sepang test will be more indicative about our true pace.” Official lap times V. Rossi Fiat Yamaha 2:00.925 C. Stoner Marlboro Ducati 2:01.320 J. Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha 2:01.680 D. Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 2:01.822 B. Spies Yamaha Tech3 2:02.266 A. Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 2:02.272 C. Edwards Yamaha Tech3 2:02.479 N. Hayden Marlboro Ducati 2:02.493 A. Espargaro Pramac Ducati 2:02.647 L. Capirossi Rizla Suzuki 2:02.763 M. Melandri San Carlo Honda 2:02.810 H. Barbera Aspar MotoGP team 2:03.032 R. De Puniet LRC Honda 2:03.043 H. Aoyama Interwetten Honda 2:03.195 M. Simoncelli San Carlo Honda 2:03.245 A. Bautista Rizla Suzuki 2.03.274 M. Kallio Pramac Ducati 2:03.359 More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM SATISFIED WITH FIRST SEPANG TEST The second and final day of MotoGP testing at Sepang was affected by mixed weather conditions, with rain in the morning making way for sun in the afternoon. However, several riders chose to take to the track from 9am, including Nicky Hayden who was the fastest on the wet track. Others, like Casey Stoner, preferred to wait until around 1pm, by which time the track had completely dried until another heavy downpour on the strike of 5pm that saw the session extended until 6pm. Casey Stoner, second fastest overall, was satisfied with the set-up work done with the new bike over the two days in Malaysia and with his physical condition, following what was a very demanding session due to the intense heat and humidity. Hayden, eighth fastest, would have been happier if it hadn’t started to rain just as he was preparing to fit new slick tyres but he was pleased to have at least improved on his best time from yesterday and to have set a consistent pace. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) 2nd fastest, 2’01.320 (44 laps) “We are quite happy with the test. Today didn’t start really well because of the rain and the wet track, which set us back a few hours, but when it finally did dry out we were able to make some progress. We have definitely improved the set-up of the bike, trying some different things with the swingarm. The lap times are still not where we want them to be and we have to work on taking another couple of tenths off on hard tyres, but to be consistently doing 2’01.9 or 2’02.0 laps is a decent pace. Considering that we are using a different engine to the one we’ve had for the last three years and some other new parts that we still need to get the best out of we certainly can’t be unhappy with where we’re at. There is work to do but we have two more test sessions before the season starts for real. In general I am really pleased with how it’s gone.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 8th fastest, 2’02.493 (64 laps) “I am satisfied but I could be happier. These past two days have flown by and the weather hasn’t helped us to make the most of the track time available. Anyway, this morning we got the chance to find a wet setting for the new forks and engine. When we went out in the dry I could feel an instant improvement on yesterday and I set a decent pace but then we didn’t improve further. I would have liked to post a better lap time but just when we put some new tyres in the rain came back. However, it was a very positive test and I can’t wait to get back to work at the next one in a couple of weeks’ time.” Sepang Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2007) 2’02.108 Best Pole Position: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2009), 2’00.518 Unofficial lap times 1. Rossi (Yamaha) 2.00.925 (20 of 32) 2. Stoner (Ducati) 2.01.320 (34 of 44) 3. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2.01.680 (27of 60) 4. Pedrosa (Honda) 2.01.822 (46 of 50) 5. Spies (Yamaha) 2.02.266 (17 of 31) 6. Dovizioso (Honda) 2.02.272 (46 of 56) 7. Edwards (Yamaha) 2.02.479 (38 of 42) 8. Hayden (Ducati) 2.02.493 (30 of 64) 9. Espargarò (Ducati) 2.02.647 (30 of 33) 10. Capirossi (Suzuki) 2.02.763 (25 of 48) 11. Melandri (Honda) 2.02.810 (49 of 55) 12. Barberà (Ducati) 2.03.032 (48 of 51) 13. De Puniet (Honda) 2.03.043 (30 of 48) 14. Aoyama (Honda) 2.03.195 (39 of 56) 15. Simoncelli (Honda) 2.03.245 (49 of 49) 16. Bautista (Suzuki) 2.03.274 (32 of 37) 17. Kallio (Ducati) 2.03.359 (46 of 53) More, from a press release issued by Honda: Honda RC212V riders up the pace at Sepang despite rain showers The second day of the planned two-day test at the Sepang Grand Prix circuit, close to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, was held in ever changing track conditions that demanded the best of team technicians working to establish base line settings for the all new 2010 MotoGP machines MotoGP teams and riders arrived at the circuit to begin testing at 09.00. and were faced with rain and less than ideal track conditions for their days work. The rain, which had began during the night, had washed dirt onto the circuit, an ever recurring problem at Sepang. Several teams saw the positive side of the situation as the ideal opportunity to test their 2010 machines on a wet track for the first time. Bridgestone had brought tyres to Sepang of exactly the same construction and compounds as raced by the riders at the 2009 GP held at the circuit last October. Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) was the fastest RC212V rider in the wet with second fastest time. The sun came out at lunchtime and testing began in earnest at one-o’clock with the teams granted an extra hour track time due to the rain. Repsol Honda team riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso made the most of the remaining time both men testing suspension options and overall machine balance as they endeavoured to establish an optimal base line set up ready for the next pre-season test in two-weeks time, again at Sepang. Both riders improved on their best lap times of yesterday, Pedrosa by a full second Dovizioso by 0.5s, and both left Sepang for home in buoyant mood and confident that the results of the test and the valuable data gathered over the two-days of testing will enable the HRC staff engineers to further improve the performance of the RC212V. San Carlo Honda Gresini riders, Melandri and Marco Simoncelli, experienced mixed fortunes on the final day. While Melandri was fast in the wet and, despite running out of time to test suspension, also made progress with the dry set up of his RCV, Simoncelli struggled to establish his base set-up, an early afternoon crash on cold tyres did not help his cause .Simoncelli was relatively unscathed in the crash and managed to get the RCV back to the pits for repairs before returning to action. Frenchman Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda began the day with his RCV with the settings of yesterday and step by step worked through suspension, geometry and engine mapping to end the day with 13th fastest time set during a long run. MotoGP debutante Hiro Aoyama was in a slightly more optimistic frame of mind at the end of the day than he was following a disappointing opening day. But the reigning 250cc World Champion is only too aware that he has some way to go before he is completely at home with the RCV. At five o’clock the rain returned effectively ending the test. The teams and riders will now have two-weeks to analyse the results of the test before returning to Sepang for a three-day test on February 24-26. Honda rider quotes and lap times. MotoGP. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 4th – 2m 01.822s 50 laps “We got through a lot more testing today and I can say that we improved significantly – and that’s important in terms of finding a good direction to follow. We were working mainly on the rear suspension and we’ve managed to collect a lot of data that should help us for the next test here in two weeks’ time. We were also testing swingingarms and at the end of the day I could feel the improvements, and so I’m happy about that. Yesterday it took me longer to get into a rhythm on the machine because it was the first day back in the saddle, but today it was much better – though I’m not at 100 per cent yet. To have the second test here in just two weeks time is really good for us. I haven’t asked for new parts because me and the team think it’s better to analyse what we’ve found here and focus on that. I’m going home satisfied.” Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 6th – 2m 02.272s 52 laps. “I leave Sepang feeling positive and I’m confident for the next test because we have clear ideas about the direction we have to follow. Today we worked on the suspension and tested some set-up options – with positive results. I’m happy because, thanks to the electronics, the package has improved in all aspects – but there is still a job to do. In particular we need to take another step forward regarding the balance. I’m confident that we can work on this at next test session here in Sepang. Today we were always running on hard tyres and we didn’t look for ultimate lap times. I think the next Sepang test will be more indicative about our true pace.” Marco Melandri, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 11th – 2m 02.810s. 55-laps. “This morning I did two exit on the wet conditions and the bike was working well. In the afternoon we continue working on the set up and the geometry of the bike. We struggled a bit. we didn’t have the time to work on the suspension but I’m sure that testing different set up we can improve so I’m confident” . Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 13th – 2m 03.043s. 48 laps. “This morning we decide not to go out on wet conditions and we waited that the track dried. We started with the configuration we finished with yesterday. We worked on suspension, geometry and engine mapping. We slowly improved. I did a long run and I did my best lap times during the long run so this is very positive in preparation of the race. Before the long run I tried a soft tyre but I couldn’t improve my lap times. I’m confident that we can improve. There is the potential so I look forward to next test session “. Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Gresini Honda: 14th – 2m 03.245s. 49 laps. “I’m happy that I didn’t suffer any injuries in the crash, I flew so high in the high side, this didn’t happen in 250. my first idea after the crash was to jump immediately on the bike. Maybe I could have improved my lap times but all in all I’m satisfied. Everything is new for me, the machine, the team. So I’m happy about these first two says of testing. It was important to start knowing the bike and t understand the direction to follow, I look forward to next test session here in two weeks”. Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda: 14th – 2m 03.195s. 56 laps. “Compared to yesterday we improved but I’m still not confident on the bike. The machine has changed a lot compared to the one I tested in November and here in December, it feels like a complete new bike and there was not so much time to test. This morning I only went out shortly on wet conditions. In general I’m not happy. “ Official practice times. 1. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha: 2m 00.925s 2. Casey Stoner, Marlboro Ducati: 2m 01.320s 3. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha: 2m 01.680s 4. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 01.822s 5. Ben Spies, Yamaha Tech3: 2m 02.266s 6. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.272s 7. Colin Edwards, Yamaha Tech3: 2m 02.479s 8. Nicky Hayden, Marlboro Ducati: 2m 02.493s 9. Aleix Espargaro, Pramac Ducati: 2m 02.647s 10. Loris Capirossi, Rizla Suzuki: 2m 02.763s 11. Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda: 2m 02.810s 12. Hector Barbera, Aspar MotoGP team: 2m 03.032s 13. Randy De Puniet, LRC Honda: 2m 03.043s 14. Hiro Aoyama, Interwetten Honda: 2m 03.195s 15. Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda: 2m 03.245s 16. Alvaro Bautista, Rizla Suzuki: 2m 03.274s 17. Mikka Kallio, Pramac Ducati: 2m 03.359s More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing Team: ESPARGARO’ IMPROVES HIS LAP TIMES IN THE SECOND DAY OF TESTING AT SEPANG Second day of testing has concluded for the Pramac Racing Team on the Sepang circuit, Malaysia. Riders Aleix Espargarò and Mika Kallio have chosen different methods of work and this has reflected on the final result. The Catalan rider, Espargarò, was concentrated in finding the best feeling with the Ducati Sat to significantly improve yesterday best lap times concluding with the ninth best time of this first 2010 winter test. His teammate, Kallio, concentrated on modifying its bike but things didn’t go too well and he couldn’t manage to improve and concluded in seventeenth position. The Pramac Racing duo will return on track on February 25th in Sepang. Aleix Espargarò – Pramac Racing rider “Yesterday we have tried to find a constant pace while today we focused looking for the fast lap. It wasn’t so bad; on the contrary, I am really pleased on how things have gone. This is only my first winter test in MotoGP and I can only improve in the future. The arm on which I had surgery on this past winter doesn’t hurt anymore and my physical condition, notwithstanding the heat of these days, seems to be in good conditions. I look forward to come back on track at the end of the month here in Malaysia.” Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing rider “Likely this was just a winter test. We tried many changes on the bike set up, but we had some difficulties to improve the situation and for this reason we lost a lot of time working on our bikes in the garage. We will have to give our best in the next test so that things can change. We are too far from the firsts and our goal is to remain consistently between top 10 riders in every single session.” SEPANG TEST DAY 2 RIDERS FASTEST LAP TIMES 1. Rossi (Yamaha) 2.00.925 (20 of 32)? 2. Stoner (Ducati) 2.01.320 (34 of 44)? 3. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2.01.680 (27of 60)? 4. Pedrosa (Honda) 2.01.822 (46 of 50)? 5. Spies (Yamaha) 2.02.266 (17 of 31)? 6. Dovizioso (Honda) 2.02.272 (46 of 56)? 7. Edwards (Yamaha) 2.02.479 (38 of 42)? 8. Hayden (Ducati) 2.02.493 (30 of 64)? 9. Espargarò (Pramac Racing – Ducati) 2.02.647 (30 of 33)? 10. Capirossi (Suzuki) 2.02.763 (25 of 48)? 11. Melandri (Honda) 2.02.810 (49 of 55)? 12. Barberà (Ducati) 2.03.032 (48 of 51)? 13. De Puniet (Honda) 2.03.043 (30 of 48)? 14. Aoyama (Honda) 2.03.195 (39 of 56)? 15. Simoncelli (Honda) 2.03.245 (49 of 49)? 16. Bautista (Suzuki) 2.03.274 (32 of 37)? 17. Kallio (Pramac Racing – Ducati) 2.03.359 (46 of 53) More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: FIAT YAMAHA OFF TO FLYING START IN MALAYSIA Valentino Rossi led the way for the second day running in Sepang today, concluding the first test of the year on top of the standings. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was also on the pace today, finishing the test third fastest behind Casey Stoner. Rain this morning meant the track did not fully dry out until lunchtime and it was after one o’clock before Rossi left the garage on his 2010 YZR-M1. The World Champion, who turns 31 in ten days time, completed 32 laps and set a best time of 2’00.925, only half a second slower than the record pole time for the track, which he set last year. Lorenzo put in a few laps in the late morning but the track was still wet in places and so he, too, waited until after lunch to really get started. The 22-year-old made a big improvement from yesterday and felt much more comfortable on the bike, finishing third fastest in a time of 2’01.680 after 60 laps. The team will return to Sepang at the end of the month for the second of three pre-season tests. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 2’00.925 Laps: 32 “After yesterday this second day has been very good as well, even though we lost a few hours to the rain, and the end we were still able to finish all our work. We worked on the new bike to find a better setting and I was happy to be the fastest overall – even though this is just testing this is important for me! At the next test we will have a few more new things but we’re already happy because we’re fast and strong. There is room to improve of course; Sepang is always a good track for the Yamaha so we will have to wait until Qatar to get a better understanding of our level, but we have made a great start.” Jorge Lorenzo Position: 3rd Time: 2’01.680 Laps: 60 “I felt much better today and I was able to be fast straight away. It wasn’t a big problem yesterday, it’s just that after such a long break I forget how to ride a little bit! I need a bit of time, but it was much better today. I’m happy about my performance and about my feeling with the new bike. Yamaha have made good improvements without changing the best parts of the bike and this is the best way. They have made some good modifications to the chassis and the engine and this has already improved our pace. We don’t have many days on the bike until the start of the season so we will make the most of the time here next month to continue our good work.” Test Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’00.925 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’01.320 3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 2’01.680 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2’01.822 5. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’02.266 6. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team 2’02.272 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’02.479 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2’02.493 9. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team 2’02.647 10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’02.763 11. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’02.810 12. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team 2’03.032 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 2’03.043 14. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP 2’03.195 15. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini 2’03.245 16. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2’03.274 17. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team 2’03.359 Sepang: Record Lap C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 2’02.108 Sepang: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2009, 2’00.518