Valentino Rossi started this weekend of racing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, by heading the top the timesheets with a best lap 2.
02.
724 in a tight first free practice session.
Andrea Dovizioso, carrying over his excellent form from his 2nd place at Motegi, was a mere tenth from Rossi and sandwiched between the two Fiat Yamaha riders.
Jorge Lorenzo, who needs just six points to tie up the championship title on Sunday, was a very close third.
Casey Stoner who is looking for a hat-trick after the Aragon and Motegi GP’s, was fourth despite binning his Ducati.
Rookie Alvaro Bautista was fifth followed by Colin Edwards and Marco Melandri who was probably spurred on by Fausto Gresini’s criticism was seventh and a little more than seven tenths from Rossi, while Aleix Espargaro finished in eighth.
Ben Spies managed ninth on a track he knows after testing at Sepang twice during the official pre-season tests.
Randy de Puniet closed out the top ten.
Nicky Hayden 15th place shows that he’s still struggling with set-up problems and going to face another tough weekend as is Mika Kallio on the privateer Ducati who was dead last again.
MotoGP Sepang 1st Free Practice Results:01- Valentino Rossi – Fiat Yamaha Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – 2′02.
72402- Andrea Dovizioso – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 0.
10903- Jorge Lorenzo – Fiat Yamaha Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
17404- Casey Stoner – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – + 0.
43605- Alvaro Bautista – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP – Suzuki GSV-R – + 0.
61406- Colin Edwards – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
66907- Marco Melandri – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 0.
71408- Aleix Espargaro – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – + 0.
74709- Ben Spies – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
75310- Randy De Puniet – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC212V – + 0.
81511- Marco Simoncelli – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 0.
95612- Loris Capirossi – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP – Suzuki GSV-R – + 0.
99313- Hector Barbera – Paginas Amarillas Aspar – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – + 1.
03614- Hiroshi Aoyama – Interwetten Honda MotoGP – Honda RC212V – + 1.
04515- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Marlboro Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – + 1.
22316- Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP10 – + 1.
299