MotoGP Sepang Test Friday: Valentino Rossi On Top Again

In the final day of MotoGP testing, and after a very wet start in the morning that saw only eleven riders risking it out on track, Nicky Hayden came out on top, followed by Marco Melandri and Hector Barbera and Jorge Lorenzo.

By 2pm, the track dried out and all the ‘aliens’ were back in action and business was as usual.

Jorge Lorenzo hit the top of the chart, with Valentino Rossi, who sat out the morning session and with only nine laps on his Yamaha in second place and Casey Stoner, who also sat out the morning, in third.

Marco Simoncelli highsided in the fast part of the circuit, picking up some grazing his left thigh and elbow and cuts on his little finger.
After a visit to the Clinica Mobile, Simoncelli was back on track on his second bike.
Ben Spies who seems to have gotten over his jet lag was in fourth, a little less than 6 tenths of second from Lorenzo.
At 4pm Valentino Rossi took over the lead and was the first rider to go under the 2”01 barrier with a fast lap of 2’00”925, followed by Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa in third who pushed Casey Stoner into fourth and Spies into fifth.

Due to the wet start, it was decided to add another hour of testing, but it started to rain again around 5pm and testing was interrupted.
Lap Times at 5:30pm (Courtesy of GPone)1.
Rossi (Yamaha-Fiat) 2.
00.
925 (32 laps)2.
Stoner (Ducati-Marlboro) 2.
01.
320 (36 laps)3.
Lorenzo (Yamaha-Fiat) 2.
01.
680 (60 laps)4.
Pedrosa (Honda-Repsol) 2.
01.
822 (50 laps)5.
Spies (Yamaha-Monster) 2.
02.
266 (31 laps)6.
Dovizioso (Honda-Repsol) 2.
02.
272 (56 laps)7.
Edwards (Yamaha-Monster) 2.
02.
479 (42 laps)8.
Hayden (Ducati-Marlboro) 2.
02.
493 (55 lap)9.
Espargarò (Ducati-Pramac) 2.
02.
647 (33 laps)10.
Capirossi (Suzuki-Rizla) 2.
02.
763 (48 laps)11.
Melandri (Honda-Gresini) 2.
02.
810 (55 laps)12.
Barberà (Ducati-Aspar) 2.
03.
032 (51 laps)13.
De Puniet (Honda-LCR) 2.
03.
043 (48 laps)14.
Aoyama (Honda-Interwetten) 2.
03.
195 (56 laps)15.
Simoncelli (Honda-Gresini) 2.
03.
245 (49 laps)16.
Bautista (Suzuki-Rizla) 2.
03.
274 (37 laps)17.
Kallio (Ducati-Pramac) 2.
03.
359 (53 laps)18.
Yamaha O 2.
05.
803 (29 laps)19.
Yamaha T 2.
06.
621 (20 laps)The next MotoGP test will also be at Sepang, from February 24-26.