MotoGP – Sepang Test Day 3 – Hayden precedes Stoner, Lorenzo ahead of Rossi

The third and final day of MotoGP testing in Sepang recently ended. On the Malaysian track everyone, or almost everyone, was on track with time tires and with a great desire to verify consistency with detailed long runs of 20 laps despite infernal temperatures. At the end of the tests Nicky Hayden finished in front of everyone, riding the new Honda RC212V: the 2006 World Champion stopped the clock at 2'00"326, obviously with Michelin qualifying tyres, on the track with the new V4 pneumatics” prepared in recent months by the Tokyo racing department. Hayden, very active with 77 laps completed, preceded Casey Stoner, the fastest in terms of consistency of performance. The last two world champions of the top class are therefore in command, with Valentino Rossi sixth and author of a good long run, stopped halfway due to his own mistake and a real physical decline.

For riders who may be heroes, but still remain human beings, Valentino suffered the Malaysian heat like many others, finishing in sixth place with good pace references and seeing himself preceded by two other brand mates. Jorge Lorenzo is in fact a positive third (the two-time 250cc world champion flies with the Michelin qualifying tyres, a little less on consistency), Colin Edwards fourth (Yamaha "satellite" of the Tech 3 team) and John Hopkins a good fifth with the Kawasaki. A positive day also for two other rookies, with Andrea Dovizioso seventh with the first "customer" Honda and James Toseland eighth, on his first outing with the 2008 Yamaha YZR M1 chassis. Speaking of the reigning Superbike champion, he managed to shave off a good 3″ compared to the tests last November: not bad.

On the margins of the top ten we find the two Suzukis of Vermeulen and Capirossi, further behind Alex De Angelis (who keeps pace with the more experienced team-mate Nakano) and Marco Melandri, still in crisis with the Ducati Desmosedici GP8, approached by the "private" Elias and the tester Niccolò Canepa. For MotoGP now a week off, we will return to the track on January 30th at Phillip Island.

MotoGP Test Sepang – Thursday 24 January – The times

01- Nicky Hayden – Honda RC212V – 2'00.326 (77 laps)
02- Casey Stoner – Ducati Desmosedici GP8 – 2'00.660 (27 laps)
03- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha YZR M1 – 2'00.766 (63 laps)
04- Colin Edwards – Yamaha YZR M1 – 2'01.179 (34 laps)
05- John Hopkins – Kawasaki ZX-RR – 2'01.198 (42 laps)
06- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha YZR M1 – 2'01.425 (48 laps)
07- Andrea Dovizioso – Honda RC212V – 2'01.447 (51 laps)
08- James Toseland – Yamaha YZR M1 – 2'01.745 (45 laps)
09- Chris Vermeulen – Suzuki GSV-R – 2'01.748 (70 laps)
10- Loris Capirossi – Suzuki GSV-R – 2'01.778 (62 laps)
11- Randy De Puniet – Honda RC212V – 2'01.873 (56 laps)
12- Shinya Nakano – Honda RC212V – 2'02.032 (38 laps)
13- Alex De Angelis – Honda RC212V – 2'02.198 (37 laps)
14- Marco Melandri – Ducati Desmosedici GP8 – 2'02.725 (58 laps)
15- Anthony West – Kawasaki ZX-RR – 2'02.978 (39 laps)
16- Toni Elias – Ducati Desmosedici GP8 Sat – 2'02.995 (67 laps)
17- Olivier Jacque – Kawasaki ZX-RR – 2'03.030 (40 laps)
18- Sylvain Guintoli – Ducati Desmosedici GP8 Sat – 2'03.628 (39 laps)
19- Niccolò Canepa – Ducati Desmosedici GP8 – 2'03.703 (49 laps)
20- Tamaki Serizawa – Kawasaki ZX-RR – 2'04.354 (27 laps)