MotoGP 2008

[JoaoM]

Stoner disappears on final day

Casey Stoner continues relentless form as home Phillip Island test concludes. MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner lapped faster than any other rider in history at Phillip Island on Friday, when the Ducati Marlboro star headlined a flawless three-day test at his home circuit with a stunning qualifying-tyre time of 1min 28.777secs - almost one-second better than his nearest rival.

Although Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa weren't present, they would have been hard pressed to challenge the Australian who - having been fastest on race tyres during the first two days - also delivered a series of low 1min 30secs race-tyre laps on day three.

"We did the race simulation with one of Bridgestone's new tyres and it went really well, even though we had to come in three laps early. The track temperature today was actually higher than it was for the race here and you could tell. Even so we managed to lap consistently in low 1min 30secs and that shows how well they're working in Japan," confirmed Casey.

"I'm also really happy with the qualifying tyre, which is the same as last year," revealed Stoner, whose best lap was 0.424secs under Pedrosa's pole time at last October grand prix. "It is a good thing that bike is not completely different to 2007 because it has allowed is to find an excellent base to start the season from already.

"The new version of the engine has a better delivery, especially at the bottom end, and that has allowed me to set fast times more consistently, as well as increasing tyre life. It has been a good test session but now I'm happy to have a couple of weeks to rest and train in the gym. The shoulder feels okay, it is just a little bit weak and sore because I haven't been able to work on it as much as I would have wanted but now we can do that," he concluded.

Holding a distant runner-up position to Stoner was 2006 world champion Nicky Hayden, who finished the test much higher than he'd been on the first two days. However, Nicky has frequently proven that he and the RCV are a force to be reckoned with on Michelin qualifying tyres; it is race pace and engine performance that is the main concern.

Turning heads just 0.020secs behind Hayden was MotoGProokie James Toseland, who - riding at a track he knows well for the first time since stepping onto an M1 last November - crowned three very encouraging days with an impressive qualifying-tyre time good enough for third on the grid at the 2007 race weekend.

It was an exciting test for all the three rookies present (Jorge Lorenzo didn't attend) and JiR Scot Team's former 250cc ace Andrea Dovizioso was a mere 0.026secs slower than the double World Superbike champion - after his own MotoGP debut at the undulating seaside circuit - while Toseland's experienced team-mate Colin Edwards completed an amazingly close second-to-fifth covered by just 0.061secs.

A four-tenth gap then separated Edwards from the top Rizla Suzuki of Chris Vermeulen, the Australian finishing what was always going to be a challenging test for the GSV-R by lapping 1.4secs from Stoner. Team-mate Loris Capirossi was only 13th fastest out of the 14 riders, following John Hopkins' Thursday injury, but the Italian seemed to stick to race tyres.

Alex de Angelis couldn't continue his top-three ranking from the first two days - the San Marinese rookie being relegated to seventh after only slightly bettering his day two best - but it was nonetheless a promising performance and he still finished one place and 0.29secs ahead of Gresini Hondateam-mate Shinya Nakano.

Alice Team's Toni Elias nudged up to ninth on the final day, just ahead of HondaLCR's Randy de Puniet. The Frenchman had a 'quiet' test by his Sepang standards, but notched up more Friday laps than anyone else, totalling 115 circulations! Countryman Sylvain Guintoli was just 0.005secs behind Randy on the second satellite-spec Desmosedici GP8.

Stoner's new team-mate Marco Melandri had made a 'great start' to the test with sixth on Wednesday, but finished the test twelfth fastest on Friday and once again stuck to race tyres. Melandri competed 108 Friday laps.

Capirossi was 0.13secs behind his 2008 replacement, while the lone Kawasaki of Anthony West completed the field.

Many of the teams present at Phillip Island will not join the Fiat Yamaha Team in action next time out at Sepang from February 5-7, but instead be back on track at the following Jerez IRTA test, which takes place from February 16-18.

Hopkins and Pedrosa both hope to be fit enough to return to action at that test.

Fastest day three times:
1. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 28.777 secs
2. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 29.734 secs
3. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (M) 1min 29.754 secs
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA JiR Team Scot (M) 1min 29.780 secs
5. Colin Edwards USA Yamaha Tech 3 (M) 1min 29.795 secs
6. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 30.216 secs
7. Alex de Angelis RSM Honda Gresini (B) 1min 30.438 secs
8. Shinya Nakano JPN Honda Gresini (B) 1min 30.728 secs
9. Toni Elias SPA Alice Team (B) 1min 30.966 secs
10. Randy de Puniet FRA Honda LCR (M) 1min 30.978 secs
11. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alice Team (B) 1min 30.983 secs
12. Marco Melandri ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 31.377 secs
13. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 31.508 secs
14. Anthony West AUS Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 31.957 secs

Fastest day two time:
Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 29.938secs (Race tyres)

Fastest day one times:
Colin Edwards USA Yamaha Tech 3 (M) 1min 29.566secs (Qualifying tyres)
Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro (B) 1min 30.178secs (Race tyres)