Stoner Fastest in final testing

[Naked Twin]

Casey was fastest in the final day of testing at Qatar

Test times:

Casey Stoner (AUS/Ducati) 1:55.353, Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 1:55.860, Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Honda) 1:55.879, Nicky Hayden (USA/Ducati) 1:56.115, Loris Capirossi (ITA/Suzuki) 1:56.195, Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Yamaha) 1:56.504, Randy de Puniet (FRA/Honda) 1:56.504, Colin Edwards (USA/Yamaha) 1:56.722, Mika Kallio (FIN/Ducati) 1:56.767, Ben Spies (USA/Yamaha) 1:56.779

The times are just chest beating but interestingly enough Suzuki is higher than I thought they would be and Spies is little off the pace.

Nick

[Mr.Ed]

That's interesting... Hayden is also doing better than last year. But no Pedrosa?

[1down5up]

from day 1
Day One: Rossi Fastest At MotoGP Qatar Night Testing
by staff
Friday, March 19, 2010
ROSSI CONTINUES PRE-SEASON DOMINATION AS LORENZO MAKES HIS RETURN

Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi continued his domination of the pre-season testing programme in Qatar today, finishing the opening day of the final test 0.3 seconds ahead of Casey Stoner. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo made a welcome return from injury to finish the day a creditable seventh and with Ben Spies third and Colin Edwards fourth, it was four Yamahas in the top seven.

Testing began at 6pm under the floodlights at the desert track and Rossi was in command from the word go, finding yet more improvement in the 2010 M1 at what is not generally one of his best tracks. A break for dinner saw both Stoner and Spies better his time but the Italian was determined to finish the day on top and improved again on his last run to regain first place.

Lorenzo missed the last test after breaking his hand and he was unsure how much strength he would have today, but the 23-year-old Spaniard was happy to find himself in better shape than expected and he steadily improved all night. He found the hard braking areas the most difficult but he was able to ride well enough to continue with his interrupted testing regime, and he is hopeful of further improvement tomorrow.

Valentino Rossi

Position: 1st Time: 1'55.402 Laps: 64
"I am so happy today because this isn't one of our best tracks and to come here and be fastest shows what a great job Yamaha has done with this new M1. To start with the track was quite slippery but anyway we were still fast, and as the track started to improve I felt better and better. We are quite competitive and this gives me a good feeling, and I was happy to make this quick lap right at the end. We still have to decide the right tyre and the best setting for it, and we will keep working on the electronics but the most important thing is that we're faster than last year! Tomorrow we will continue with our work and try to finalise everything before the race."


Jorge Lorenzo
_
Position: 7th Time: 1'56.838 Laps: 45
"It's really good to be back on my bike and actually when I went out on track the first time today my hand felt better than I had expected. The pain has decreased a lot in the last few days and I've been doing a lot of physio to make sure I'm in the best possible shape for this test. I was able to do quite a lot of laps today and my time is not so bad in the end, it's definitely interesting and important to be here and see our level after missing the last test. Dainese have made me a bigger glove and I have some protection on the hand; changing direction is okay, it's just the hard braking areas where I have some problems. I need more practice but I think we have made a good start."

**************

Ben Spies and Colin Edwards light up Qatar night test

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Ben Spies and Colin Edwards produced dazzling performances under the Losail International Circuit floodlights in Qatar tonight.

Spies was in sparkling form to post a best time of 1.55.954 that secured him a stunning third place on the timesheets. Earlier on a balmy night in Doha, Spies had topped the timesheets for a brief period in the six-hour session that ran from 6pm to midnight.

What made the reigning World Superbike champion's performance even more remarkable was he'd never ridden under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit before. Yet Spies finished just over 0.2s behind circuit specialist and triple Qatar race winner C asey Stoner with Valentino Rossi once again quickest on his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 machine.

The 25-year-old was forced to finish early after a crash at the second corner in the final hour while using a hard compound Bridgestone front tyre. But he declared himself delighted with progress in his 44-lap stint.

Fellow Texan Colin Edwards was equally impressive in fourth position after he posted a best time of 1.57.541 in a 59-lap stint. Edwards continued to fine-tune the race-set-up of his YZR-M1 machine, working on Yamaha's new swingarm and Bridgestone's new hard compound front tyre.

Ben Spies 3rd 1.55.954 - 44 laps

"I know this track from last year but riding under the floodlights is definitely a bit different and nothing I've experienced before. The perception of speed is much faster with it being at night but I'm having a lot of fun. It's really well lit up but there are a couple of darker spots on the track that you have to get used to but I've not done too bad in adjusting to the lights. I know the track but any track I go to on a MotoGP bike makes it definitely different because of the lines you take. Some of the lines I'd take on the superbike just don't work but I felt like it was coming together good and following a couple of people it felt like I was doing more of the right things than I was in Malaysia. Obviously it is great for me to be high up the timesheets but I'm still taking baby steps to improve and not getting carried away. The crash was nothing too serious. I was running the hard front and I wasn't getting a good feeling from it. We changed the pressure to try and help for my second run but I just lost the front at the second corner. But to be third is fantastic for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3. They have been giving me great support."

Colin Edwards 4th 1.56.541 - 59 laps

"It was a good night. It didn't start off too great and it took me a while to get into the groove. We played around with the set-up using some of the new parts I'd liked in Sepang and also running some of last year's pieces to get some good information. The lap time was about the same so around this track the new parts aren't making the difference like they did in Malaysia. I did a long run on the hard front and I like it. I did race distance on it and it felt really good. I ended up doing 27-laps on it, which is five more than race distance, and it still felt really good. I'm getting the feedback I need at full lean angle and it holds the turn much better."

Official lap times
1. Valentino Rossi 1:55.402
2. Casey Stoner 1:55.717
3. Ben Spies 1:55.954
4. Colin Edwards 1:56.540
5. Randy De Puniet 1:56.588
6. Andrea Dovizioso 1:56.811
7. Jorge Lorenzo 1:56.838
8. Nicky Hayden 1:56.855
9. Mika Kallio 1:56.923
10. Dani Pedrosa 1:57.047
11. Loris Capirossi 1:57.099
12. Marco Melandri 1:57.605
13. Hector Barbera 1:57.822
14. Hiro Aoyama 1:57.888
15. Marco Simoncelli 1:57.891
16. Aleix Espargaro 1:57.898
17. Alvaro Bautista 1:57.960

SECOND AND EIGHTH FASTEST TIMES FOR STONER AND HAYDEN ON OPENING NIGHT OF QATAR TEST


Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden ended the first of two nights of testing in Qatar with the second and eighth fastest times respectively, the Ducati Marlboro Team riders working throughout a sticky evening to get their GP10 machines to grips with a particularly slippery track surface. The high levels of humidity experienced tonight are also expected for the first race of the season, which takes place here on the 11th April.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team)_ 2nd fastest:_ 1'55.717 (48 laps)
"We tried a few different set-up solutions but the main focus tonight was the tyres. I used the same set for thirty laps and set some of my best lap times towards the end, so we are satisfied with that. We have also worked on the balance of the bike because the conditions here are very different to Malaysia and I prefer the bike to be more rigid. So far so good."

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team)_ 8th fastest:_ 1'56.855 (77 laps)

"Things went well for the first half of the session then we kind of got stuck. The general feeling of the bike is quite good but I would like to be a step closer to the top guys. The biggest problem is that we're not able to get the most out of the soft tyre - we can't seem to get it working at the right temperature so I have to keep using the harder compound. It happened in Malaysia and we've struggled with it again today at a circuit where the conditions are very different, so it is important we work out the reason."

Circuit Record: Casey Stoner_ (Ducati - 2008), 1'55.153, 168.193 Km/h

Best Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha - 2008), 1'53.927, 170.003 Km/h

link to honda and suzuki comments
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100318i.htm

[1down5up]

day 2 comments and times

Qatar MotoGP Night Test: Stoner Laps Fastest
by staff
Friday, March 19, 2010
Winter Test
Saturday Mar 20 2010Winter Test

Qatar test - Day 2

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM END QATAR TEST WITH STONER ON TOP AND HAYDEN FOURTH

The Ducati Marlboro Team concluded its preseason testing schedule this evening with both riders extremely satisfied with the set-up of their GP10 machines and their lap times. The second and final night of tests in Qatar saw Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden first and fourth on the time sheets despite both crashing in turn two, where several other riders also came unstuck.

The next appointment for the Ducati Marlboro Team is back on the same track on 11th April for the opening race of the season, the Grand Prix of Qatar.

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1st 1'55.352 (51 laps)
"I am really happy with the test and the work we have done right up to tonight. In the first Sepang test we had a few things to work out but we have made constant progress. The latest big step forward with the GP10 came last night and today I was able to set a consistently fast pace. I have been able to work with the tyres without putting too much stress on them and I was able to keep my pace on used rubber. I like the new engine a lot, it is more manageable and I am pleased to see the other Ducati riders, especially Nicky confirming that with fast times."

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 4th 1'56.116 (51 laps)
"Today went better than yesterday, we took a step forward with the set-up and my lap time was decent. It is still taking us too long to get up to speed but there's no doubt we're making progress. Tonight I did my best time on a long run and I think I could have gone even faster on the next lap if it wasn't for the crash in turn two. Anyway the bike is working well, the team has done a fantastic job and I can't wait for the season to start now. I want to say a big thanks to all the guys at Ducati who are working so hard and giving me great support."

Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1'55.153, 168.193 Km/h
Best Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha - 2008), 1'53.927, 170.003 Km/h
Today unofficial lap times
1. Stoner (Ducati) 1'55.352 (51 laps)
2. Rossi (Yamaha) 1'55.860 (57)
3. Dovizioso (Honda) 1'55.880 (66)
4. Hayden (Ducati) 1'56.116 (51)
5. Capirossi (Suzuki) 1'56.195 (58)
6. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1'56.504 (44)
7. De Puniet (Honda) 1'56.505 (66)
8. Edwards (Yamaha)1'56.772 (48)
9. Kallio (Ducati) 1'56.767 (74)
10. Spies (Yamaha)1'56.780 (44)
11. Espargarï (Ducati) 1'56.897 (64)
12. Bautista (Suzuki) 1'56.898 (71)
13. Pedrosa (Honda)1'56.934 (56)
14. Melandri (Honda) 1'57.222 (64)
15. BarberÖ (Ducati)1'57.222 (74)
16. Aoyama (Honda) 1'57.251 (81)
17. Simoncelli (Honda) 1'57.379 (56)

***********
The circuit was dirty at the start of the test as the surface was strewn with sand, and initially this caused some riders to experience slight graining. This occurs because the sand on the track makes the surface slippery yet abrasive. To tackle this issue Bridgestone supplied teams with the extra hard compound front slick tyre, and the hard compound rear tyre; both harder compounds than were available for last year's Qatar Grand Prix.

The track got cleaner throughout the test, but it was still the harder option front and rear tyres that were favoured for their extra durability and ability to cope with the circuit's abrasive nature. Ducati Team's Casey Stoner recorded the fastest lap of the test, 0.5seconds faster than his best race lap from last season, ahead of Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi. Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso finished third after two days of running.

Tohru Ubukata - Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department

"During the two days of testing in Qatar we saw good and fairly consistent conditions which allowed us and the teams to gain data on all of the available slick tyre specifications that we will bring to the Qatar GP. Both options of front and rear slick are working well, although almost all the riders preferred the harder options. The track conditions were much improved on the second day because of the cleaning effect of a day's running, but we can see that the track was still not perfect: Casey's fastest laptime was 0.1seconds slower than his qualifying time from last year, and even at the end of the test the harder option tyres were favoured for their extra durability as the track was still quite sandy and slippery. Many riders completed long runs though, and durability was good despite this so I am happy.

"Again in Qatar we offered an experimental front tyre, though a different spec to the one we tested in Sepang. I would like to thank Valentino and the Fiat Yamaha Team for using this tyre in Qatar and providing some very important and valuable data that will not only help shape the future direction of our MotoGP tyre development, but also of our Battlax production tyres."

****************


ROSSI AND LORENZO CONCLUDE PRE-SEASON WITH SECOND AND SIXTH IN QATAR

The Fiat Yamaha Team riders concluded their pre-season preparation this evening with another strong performance in the humid Qatar night, Valentino Rossi finishing second and Jorge Lorenzo sixth. This was the last time the riders will be on track before the first race, back at the same circuit in three weeks time.

Rossi concentrated largely on finalising his race preparation today, also finding time to try a new tyre compound for Bridgestone. The Italian completed 20 laps in a long run late in the evening with the aim of gathering more information for the race, which will help the team during the practice sessions when they return here. He set his best time of the day earlier in the evening, slightly slower than his time from yesterday, and finally had to settle for second behind Casey Stoner. The Italian has been fastest on five out of six test days this year however and he and his crew are now looking forward with confidence to the first race.

Lorenzo continued to make progress and to push as hard as his injured hand would allow, the Spaniard managing to test some new electronic settings amongst other things and improve on his time from yesterday. He still felt some pain in the hard braking areas and needed to take a painkilling pill, but he was happy to finish sixth in the circumstances and is confident that he will be back to full strength in time for the race.

The first race of the 2010 MotoGP season takes place at Losail, Qatar on 9th, 10th and 11th April.

Valentino Rossi

Position: 2nd Time: 1'55.860 Laps: 57

"This has been another good day. We've concentrated mostly on the race preparation and it feels like we're now ready for the first race. We did a long run at the end of the session and we got some good information, which will help us in the race. Now that testing is over I am very excited about the season. We've been strong throughout the six days of practice and it feels good to have been fast here also, where we have struggled in the past. We have only tested at two tracks so we need to wait for another different one to fully understand the new bike, but we're in good shape. My M1 feels great and I'm looking forward to racing!"

Jorge Lorenzo

Position: 6th Time: 1'56.504 Laps: 44

"Today my hand felt okay, maybe a bit worse than yesterday. Of course it's not as good as before the accident but this is to be expected! It's hard for me in the braking areas and I can't push any harder than I have been today at the moment, but I hope it will have improved a lot by the time of the first race. Our bike is great, Yamaha have done a fantastic job and you can see this from the strong performance of all the Yamaha riders. We've done a lot of work and tried many things, so I hope that these will help us when we come back here in three weeks. I will keep working to strengthen my hand and I hope to be in much better condition by then."
Practice times:
Session 2. March 19, 2010.
Pos / Rider / Team / Fastest lap / Prev. Gap / Lead. Gap / Laps
1 / Casey Stoner / Ducati Marlboro Team / 1:55.353 / - / - / 51
2 / Valentino Rossi / Fiat Yamaha Team / 1:55.860 / +0.507 / +0.507 / 57
3 / Andrea Dovizioso / Repsol Honda Team / 1:55.879 / +0.019 / +0.526 / 66
4 / Nicky Hayden / Ducati Marlboro Team / 1:56.115 / +0.236 / +0.762 / 51
5 / Loris Capirossi / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP / 1:56.195 / +0.080 / +0.842 / 58
6 / Jorge Lorenzo / Fiat Yamaha Team / 1:56.504 / +0.309 / +1.151 / 44
7 / Randy De Puniet / LCR Honda MotoGP / 1:56.504 / - / +1.151 / 66
8 / Colin Edwards / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / 1:56.722 / +0.218 / +1.369 / 48
9 / Mika Kallio / Pramac Racing Team / 1:56.767 / +0.045 / +1.414 / 74
10 / Ben Spies / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / 1:56.779 / +0.012 / +1.426 / 44
11 / Aleix Espargaro / Pramac Racing Team / 1:56.897 / +0.118 / +1.544 / 64
12 / Alvaro Bautista / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP / 1:56.898 / +0.001 / +1.545 / 71
13 / Dani Pedrosa / Repsol Honda Team / 1:56.935 / +0.037 / +1.582 / 56
14 / Marco Melandri / San Carlo Honda Gresini / 1:57.222 / +0.287 / +1.869 / 64
15 / Hector Barbera / Aspar Team / 1:57.223 / +0.001 / +1.870 / 74
16 / Hiroshi Aoyama / Interwetten-Honda MotoGP /
1:57.251 / +0.028 / +1.898 / 81
17 / Marco Simoncelli / San Carlo Honda Gresini /
1:57.379 / +0.128 / +2.026 / 56

Combined times: March 18 - 19.
Pos / Rider / Team / Session 1 / Session 2 / Prev. Gap / Lead. Gap
1 / Casey Stoner / Ducati Marlboro Team / 1:55.717 / 1:55.353 / - / -
2 / Valentino Rossi / Fiat Yamaha Team / 1:55.402 / 1:55.860 / +0.049 / +0.049
3 / Andrea Dovizioso / Repsol Honda Team /
1:56.811 / 1:55.879 / +0.477 / +0.526
4 / Ben Spies / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / 1:55.954 / 1:56.779 / +0.075 / +0.601
5 / Nicky Hayden / Ducati Marlboro Team / 1:56.855 / 1:56.115 / +0.161 / +0.762
6 / Loris Capirossi / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP /
1:57.099 / 1:56.195 / +0.080 / +0.842
7 / Jorge Lorenzo / Fiat Yamaha Team / 1:56.838 / 1:56.504 / +0.309 / +1.151
8 / Randy De Puniet / LCR Honda MotoGP / 1:56.588 / 1:56.504 / - / +1.151
9 / Colin Edwards / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 /
1:56.540 / 1:56.722 / +0.036 / +1.187
10 / Mika Kallio / Pramac Racing Team / 1:56.923 / 1:56.767 / +0.227 / +1.414
11 / Aleix Espargaro / Pramac Racing Team /
1:57.898 / 1:56.897 / +0.130 / +1.544
12 / Alvaro Bautista / Rizla Suzuki MotoGP /
1:57.960 / 1:56.898 / +0.001 / +1.545
13 / Dani Pedrosa / Repsol Honda Team / 1:57.047 / 1:56.935 / +0.037 / +1.582
14 / Marco Melandri / San Carlo Honda Gresini /
1:57.605 / 1:57.222 / +0.287 / +1.869
15 / Hector Barbera / Aspar Team / 1:57.822 / 1:57.223 / +0.001 / +1.870
16 / Hiroshi Aoyama / Interwetten-Honda MotoGP /
1:57.888 / 1:57.251 / +0.028 / +1.898
17 / Marco Simoncelli / San Carlo Honda Gresini /
1:57.891 / 1:57.379 / +0.128 / +2.026

not enough for you wanna read more about the hondas and suzuki teams click the link
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100319mgp2.htm

[laidback]

As naked twin says it's just chest beating. We'll know where everyone is at after qualifying and racing begins.

Bring it on.

[clarkey]

Great to see Nicky up there again :ayyy: