Ducati MotoGP rider Casey Stoner was well on the pace at the opening Grand Prix weekend in Qatar. The Australian completed his fastest lap in 1.57.053 and ended well ahead of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards.
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| Rossi ended second |
The 2009 MotoGP season got under way on Friday evening under the flood lights of Qatar. While the MotoGP riders had two free practice sessions on Friday to get used to the track they will have to do with just one 45-minute session this season.
Championship candidates Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi were both well on the pace in Qatar while Dani Pedrosa was found at the bottom of the time sheets. The Spaniard might need more tim to recover from his testing fall in Qatar last month.