Test Recap
Although the stands went from full to empty after Jorge Lorenzo took the win at Jerez Sunday, the MotoGP teams didn’t pack up and leave – they remained for post-GP test on Monday, hoping to improve their prototype machines.
And the fastest rider? Round two’s pole-sitter, Dani Pedrosa. The Repsol Honda RC212V rider who finished second in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix posted the quickest time of 1:39.425 after completing 60 laps. The Spaniard’s time was just 0.233 seconds slower than his pole time.
This was not without incident as the Repsol Honda Team Spanish rider had a slight crash, without any physical injury, at turn 10 due to a loss of grip on the front wheel of his bike, after a big slide at the rear.
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi crashed during the testing, but returned to pilot his Fiat Yamaha M1 to 1:39.480, just over a half second off Pedrosa’s time. Rossi, who finished third in Sunday’s race, is still recovering from a motocross training accident, and struggled with set-up all weekend.
After riding 71 laps, Sunday’s winner Lorenzo was third quickest in the test session, just 0.026 seconds behind his teammate Rossi. Fourth fastest was LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet, and fifth went to Pedrosa’s teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, who experimented with a new swingarm, the same type that Pedrosa used during Sunday’s race.
The only other rider to fall besides Pedrosa and Rossi during the Monday test was Rizla Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista.
MotoGP Jerez Tests Results (May 3, 2010)
1. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda, 1:39.425
2. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha, 1: 39.480 + 0.055s
3. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha, 1:39.506 + 0.081s
4. Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda, 1:39.609 + 0.184s
5. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda, 1:39.760 + 0.335s
6. Casey Stoner, Marlboro Ducati, 1:39.786 + 0.361s
7. Nicky Hayden, Marlboro Ducati, 1:39.906 + 0.481s
8. Ben Spies, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha, 1:39.958 + 0.533s
9. Loris Capirossi, Rizla Suzuki, 1:40.040 + 0.615s
10. Colin Edwards, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha, 1.40.042 + 0.617s
11. Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda, 1:40.129 + 0.704s
12. Marco Simoncelli, Gresini Honda, 1:40.370 + 0.945s
13. Mika Kallio, Pramac Ducati, 1:40.446 + 1.021s
14. Alvaro Bautista, Rizla Suzuki, 1:40.463 + 1.038s
15. Hiroshi Aoyama, Interwetten Honda, 1:40.470 + 1.045s
16. Aleix Espargaro, Pramac Ducati, 1:40.686 + 1.261s
17. Hector Barbera, Aspar Ducati, 1:40.932 + 1.507s
The next, of the limited 2010 MotoGP tests, will occur on the day after the Cardion AB Moto Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on August 16th, 2010.
