Casey Stoner sent out an emphatic statement to the rest of the MotoGP field by dominating the final day of MotoGP testing in Sepang.
Stoner broke in the sub 2 minute lap-time by posting a fastest lap of 1’59.607 on only his second lap of the day.
Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa completed the top 3, with Ben Spies in a close 4th place.
Colin Edwards was the leading CRT rider, but was still over 5 seconds off Casey Stoner’s pace. More CRT concerns were reflected in the times posted by Torres and Pietri, who were both over 10 seconds from the front.
Full times from Sepang below:
1. Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team 1m59.607s 21
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 2m00.198s + 0.591 35
3. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 2m00.256s + 0.649 26
4. Ben Spies Yamaha Factory Racing 2m00.495s + 0.888 16
5. Valentino Rossi Ducati Team 2m00.824s + 1.217 42
6. Hector Barbera Pramac Racing Team 2m00.929s + 1.322 40
7. Cal Crutchlow Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m01.108s + 1.501 26
8. Andrea Dovizioso Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m01.257s + 1.650 40
9. Alvaro Bautista San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m01.384s + 1.777 34
10. Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 2m01.729s + 2.122 19
11. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 2m01.894s + 2.287 38
12. Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 2m02.218s + 2.611 38
13. Katsuyuki Nakasuga Yamaha Factory 2m02.334s + 2.727 27
14. Franco Battaini Ducati Team 2m03.033s + 3.426 35
15. Colin Edwards NGM Mobile Forward Racing 2m04.722s + 5.115 36
16. Ivan Silva Avintia Racing 2m08.225s + 8.618 41
17. Robertino Pietri Avintia Racing 2m09.640s + 10.033 16
18. Jordi Torres Avintia Racing 2m10.184s + 10.577 29
Day two of the MotoGP testing at Sepang, and Casey Stoner has clearly recovered from his back injury that prevented him from fully testing yesterday – Ben Spies had been the early leader, but Stoner topped the timesheets with a with a 2m00.895s lap, and only needed 29 laps to do it in.
More highlights from Wroom below, including the first videos from the official rider press conferences with Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden:
Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden ready to return to action with the Ducati GP12
The Ducati Team riders were the stars of the first day of Wrooom 2012 at Madonna di Campiglio, with Nicky Hayden first to “take to the track” and answer questions from the international press in attendance. The American, who is recovering well enough from his injured left scapula that he has already removed his sling, then passed the baton to a pleased Valentino Rossi, who is motivated to get back in the saddle and start winter testing in just over two weeks.
“I’m much better,” confirmed Nicky Hayden, “so I’ve been able to remove the sling right on schedule. Here at Madonna di Campiglio, I’m starting to do a little training on a stationary bicycle under the supervision of the team physiotherapist, with the goal of being ready for the Sepang test (31 January – 2 February) as strong as possible. I can’t wait to ride the GP12, because it will be my first time ever. I wasn’t able to try it in the post-race test at Valencia, and I definitely won’t miss the next chance. I never made any secret that I prefer the new displacement to the 800s, although I think things will be much different than in 2006, beginning with the tyres, and the electronics have also come a long way. We’ll have more power, and we’ll have to find the right balance between controlling it while still taking as much advantage of it as we can. I’ve stayed in contact with Filippo (Preziosi) and the guys in the Ducati Corse department over the winter, and I know they’ve worked really hard. We’ll have a lot of things to try at Sepang. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m also confident that we can start to reduce the gap between now and the first race at Qatar. I believe in Ducati, this project and Filippo, and I want to get back on my Ducati as soon as possible.”
“We’re starting with a different spirit,” Valentino Rossi began with a smile. “When I came to Wrooom, I was still healing from my shoulder operation, and after that, the season didn’t go at all like we’d hoped. For this year, Filippo (Preziosi) designed a different bike, and they’ve made a big effort at Ducati to have it in time for the start of the winter tests. I visited the factory and saw it on a computer, and it’s beautiful. We’re not expecting it to be immediately perfect at Sepang, but rather to understand if we’ve worked in the proper direction. We’re very realistic, and our goal is to reduce the gap to our competition, step by step, working in a logical way, and from there to be able to refine the details in order to be competitive and to try and win. One of the most important things for going fast is to make the tyres work as they’re able to, so together with Filippo, we’ve tried to come up with a bike that will let them perform as well as possible. We’ll see if we’ve managed it. I like working with Ducati. I feel good here because there’s a nice atmosphere and we all have faith.”
Wrooom continues tomorrow with the press conference for Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Manager, who will go into detail on the bike’s development and the technical program that will allow the Desmosedici GP12 to confront the new MotoGP season as well as possible.
The first official videos are starting to emerge from the official Ducati Wrooom event being held at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort.
The Wrooom event is where Ducati officially launch their MotoGP season with interviews with the riders, the team, as well as showing off their new machinery – however, there is one conspicious absence this year – the GP12.
Ducati have opted not to take the 2012 MotoGP bike with them this year, and will instead roll it out at the first official test at the end of this month.
Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi have both started being quizzed by the press, with most of the attention focusing on Rossi’s expectations for 2012 and beyond. This is the final year of Rossi’s contract with Ducati, and he stated that although he was only focused on starting the season and bringing success to Ducati, he did see himself staying in MotoGP for possibly one more two year contract.
Some choice quotes from Valentino Rossi at the Wrooom Event:
On 2012 title aspirations:
“The championship is difficult because the gap in 2011 was quite big. Our target is to fix problems step by step, and try to come closer to Yamaha and Honda. And from that moment, start to fix all the details, to be competitive for the victory. I do not want to say from the start that I cannot fight for the championship, but I have to be realistic. In the end there was 1.5 seconds we have to recover, and our target is to get close to the others and be able to race with them and fight with them. This is our goal.”
On the 2012 Ducati GP12 bike:
“I think that the first test will be important, and for sure the bike will be different compared to last year. It is impossible to be competitive from the first test, but I think we will have some good information to work with, and be ready for the first race. Last year was a lot worse because from the first test we understood that the season will be very tough and difficult. “After three laps we understood we could not win the first race, but now the situation is better – because I am fit. We know we need time, but we work well together – and it is a dream to try and win the first race. But in reality, we are a bit too far off – but maybe the new bike is a miracle.”
On Honda:
“Honda has really set the bar high, and hopefully we are closer there than we were in Valencia. But sitting up here – talk is cheap. I can say this and that about how we are going to be right there, but until we get there and roll out of the garage. I am confident we will be closer. We have some idea – but there is no need to make any predictions here in January. And even then it doesn’t matter until we get to Qatar. I hope we will be much closer, and it will tell us more where the 1000s are against the 800s. But I believe in Ducati, I believe in this project, Filippo and everyone involved.”
“I think that in 2011, Honda decided they wanted to win and they put on the table an amount of money that others did not have. It came out with a bike that was really incredible, so this technology will go on with 1000cc. But I hope Yamaha will be more competitive and I hope so for us, to have a more balanced championship. That is our desire.”
On his future:
“The scenario is that during the season everything will become interesting, because all riders have their contracts expiring, so cards can be shuffled,”
“Honestly I don’t know. I would like to be able to make Ducati go fast and be able to win something, and then perhaps even stop – to race for a few more years and achieve some good results this is perhaps my goal but there are many other possibilities, but not now. I would like to at least do another contract so would like to sign at least another two-year contract. I think we are going to be speaking about the contract during the season, because we have to organise ourselves for 2013,” he said. “I do not want to do it too soon because when you risk losing concentration on the championship as it is underway, but we will try and plan my future.”
