MotoGP: 2009 Sepang Test Day 1 Results

Good showing for Suzuki in first test of 2009

Loris Capirossi set the fastest time on the first day of the official MotoGP test session in Sepang, Malaysia, Feb. 5.

Riding an updated GSV-R800, the Rizla Suzuki rider set the top time of 2:01.869 on the last of his 37 laps on the Sepang International Circuit. Capirossi’s teammate, Chris Vermeulen set the fourth fastest time which bodes well for the 2009 GSV-R which features a new engine, chassis and carbon fiber frame.

Casey Stoner recorded the second fastest time, 0.169 seconds behind Capirossi. The test was the Ducati Marlboro rider’s first time on the Desmosedici GP9 since undergoing surgery on his wrist Oct. 30, 2008. Despite the positive results, Stoner says his wrist is still not fully healed.

“My wrist is still in a lot of pain and I honestly hoped it would be in better shape than this after three months since the operation,” says Stoner. “Even though the lap times were good from the start the wrist was still giving me a lot of problems – it is weak and painful under braking, especially in the first left-hand turn. I can’t do more than four or five laps at a time and there’s nothing I can do about that at the moment, other than hope that it improves over time”

Reigning MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi recorded the third fastest time despite suffering from some injuries of his own. Rossi received stitches to his left hand and foot after falling on a glass table at his home. The Fiat Yamaha rider also had a low-speed crash early in the test and ended the day early after 31 laps, the fewest among all participants.

“I stopped quite early this afternoon because I wanted to keep myself in good shape for tomorrow and the day after,” says Rossi. “After some laps my finger was hurting and it was also beginning to swell up. Tomorrow we will try something new with the electronics and we will also have to change the engine, because the one I used today was the same one that we used at the Jerez test and its mileage is now over.”

Toni Elias completed the top five riding his San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V. Elias’ top time was 0.202 seconds faster than the factory Repsol Honda bike piloted by Andrea Dovizioso.

Colin Edwards recorded the seventh fastest time for Tech 3 Yamaha while fellow American Nicky Hayden was 11th for Ducati Marlboro.

“The bike feels good on the brakes and it is stable and precise in the fast corners,” says Hayden. “I’m struggling a bit on corner exit though because it still tends to pump quite a lot and I’m not used to that yet. We’re working to reduce it and we’ve got a couple of ideas that we’ll check out over the next two days.”

The riders will return to the track for two more days of testing Feb. 6-7 in Sepang.

2009 MotoGP Sepang test day one results
Pos.	Rider	Team	Time
1st	Loris Capirossi	Rizla Suzuki	2:01.869
2nd	Casey Stoner	Ducati Marlboro	2:02.038
3rd	Valentino Rossi	Fiat Yamaha	2:02.324
4th	Chris Vermeulen	Rizla Suzuki	2:02.803
5th	Toni Elias	San Carlo Gresini Honda	2:02.886
6th	Andrea Dovizioso	Repsol Honda	2:03.088
7th	Colin Edwards	Tech 3 Yamaha	2:03.254
8th	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda	2:03.312
9th	Sete Gibernau	ONDE 2000 Ducati	2:03.750
10th	Jorge Lorenzo	Fiat Yamaha	2:03.894
11th	Nicky Hayden	Ducati Marlboro	2:04.002
12th	Alex De Angelis	San Carlo Gresini Honda	2:04.396
13th	Mika Kallio	Pramac Ducati	2:04.405
14th	James Toseland	Tech 3 Yamaha	2:04.502
15th	Randy De Puniet	LCR Honda	2:04.882
16th	Toshihiko Fujiwara (test rider)	Yamaha Factory Racing	2:05.024
17th	Yuki Takahashi	Scot Racing Honda	2:05.098
18th	Wataru Yoshikawa (test rider)	Yamaha Factory Racing	2:05.140
19th	Niccolo Canepa	Pramac Ducati	2:05.270

Sources: www.motorcycle.com