MotoGP Valencia, Free Practice 3: Stoner in the lead, Rossi sixth

The sun is shining on the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. The MotoGP riders were therefore able to benefit from excellent weather conditions in the third free practice session of the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community, the last event of the 2011 world championship.

The fastest was Casey Stoner who stopped the clock at a time of 1'32"619. The two-time world champion (2007 – 2011) therefore lapped close to the track record (1'32.582) and preceded team-mate Dani Pedrosa by more than six tenths.

Surprisingly third was Randy De Puniet with the Ducati of Team Pramac. The Frenchman who lapped in 1'33"743 precedes Andrea Dovizioso by 186 thousandths, in his last race with Honda (next year he will in fact race with the Yamaha of Team Tech3.)

Behind the Forlì rider we find Ben Spies' Yamaha and Valentino Rossi's official Ducati, on the track today with a special helmet to remember his friend Marco Simoncelli. The nine-time world champion is 1"649 behind Stoner, behind him the Suzuki of Alvaro Bautista and team-mate Nicky Hayden. Closing out the Top Ten are Hector Barberà with the Ducati of Team Aspar and Hiroshi Aoyama with the Honda of Team Gresini.

Eleventh is Loris Capirossi, in his last race of a very long career that lasted 22 years and which brought 3 titles (two in 125 and one in 250), 99 podiums and 328 starts. The Team Pramac rider who races with the number 58 in honor of his friend Marco Simoncelli, who tragically passed away in Sepang, pays a gap from Stoner of 2″ 418. Closing the list of times are Karel Abraham's Ducati, Cal Crutchlow's Yamaha, Toni Elias' Honda, and the Yamahas of Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Josh Hayes, who here replace the injured Jorge Lorenzo and Colin Edwards respectively.