MotoGP news

Stoner ends final day on top

Casey Stoner continued to show his strong performance on the Ducati GP9 in Qatar on Tuesday as the Australian ended on top of the time sheets on what was the third and final day of testing in the Qatar night this week. Stoner completed his fastest lap in 1.55.744 and was just ahead of Yamaha riders Lorenzo and Rossi.

In Qatar Casey Stoner mainly focussed on the short runs as it was more confortable for his wrist. Stoner did fell off his bike once though. "We knew the track conditions would get worse at around ten o'clock and that proved to be the case. The crash was on the way into turn 2 and it was very similar to the one here last year - practically from an upright position. I got straight back on the other bike but with such an unpredictable track we decided to finish an hour early because the conditions were only getting worse," Stoner said.

Stoner's team-mate Nicky Hayden can also look back on a positive test, the American finishing up in the top five of the unofficial standings, just a few tenths of a second off the second placed rider.

At Yamaha Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi ended second and third at the end of the final day of testing. Lorenzo made a huge improvement as he continued to adapt to the new Bridgestone tyres and his new-found confidence led to a promising long run, in which he set a string of consistent laps. Lorenzo commented on his final day of testing this week: "I am so happy tonight because this session has been much, much better for us. The long run was especially good but in fact the whole evening has been an improvement, so I am very pleased about the job we have done. We've tried some different settings, which have helped, but mainly I have adapted and found a way to be comfortable, which means I can ride faster. Everyone has worked really hard to make this step and I am happy to finish this test on a good note. Now I am looking forward to the race!"

The next appointment for the MotoGP riders is the final test session of the 2009 preseason at Jerez de la Frontera, in the south of Spain on the 28th and 29th March.

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