Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa topped the timesheets at the end of the first day of 1000cc testing at Valencia, with the Japanese squad trying out new parts for its 2012 contender. The Spaniard posted a time of 1:32.186 to lead team-mate Casey Stoner by 0.136 seconds, while Yamaha’s Ben Spies completed the top three.
"It's been a good day for testing after so much rain," explained Pedrosa. "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: 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."
Randy de Puniet was next up in fourth place as the day came to a close, the Frenchman testing for Suzuki ahead of what could be a possible team switch for 2012. Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow continued his strong Valencia pace by finishing fifth fastest, with Italians Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso close behind.
Héctor Barberá ended his first outing for Pramac in eighth place, while LCR runner Stefan Bradl and Cardion's Karel Abraham rounded out the top ten.
Testing continues at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo tomorrow morning
Series
MotoGP
Personalities
Casey Stoner
Teams
Repsol Honda Team
Other
Get your official MotoGP tickets at Sportstadium.com
| Pos. | Time | Laps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  D. Pedrosa | 01:32.186 | 40 |
| 2. | C. Stoner | 01:32.322 | 42 |
| 3. | B. Spies | 01:33.226 | 73 |
| 4. | R. de Puniet | 01:33.544 | 55 |
| 5. | C. Crutchlow | 01:33.652 | 75 |
| 6. | V. Rossi | 01:33.857 | 71 |
| 7. | A. Dovizioso | 01:33.859 | 49 |
| 8. | H. Barbera | 01:34.174 | 57 |
| 9. | S. Bradl | 01:34.330 | 62 |
| 10. | K. Abraham | 01:34.393 | 61 |
| Full results | |||
| Casey Stoner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| More Casey Stoner photos | |||
English
Nederlands
Español
Italiano
