The Misano World circuit venue which will continue to be on the GP calendar for the next five years, saw MotoGP action kick off again just one week after Casey Stoner’s superb win at Indianapolis and it was again the Australian Repsol Honda rider who headed the top of the timesheets after bumping off Ben Spies with his last flying lap of 1.
34.
180.
However the first practice session saw some tight lap times at least for the top three with Stoner, Spies who has an excellent race pace and Dani Pedrosa all in less than three and half tenths of a second.
Andrea Dovizioso took fourth, but he was 0.
831s adrift, followed by his Honda rival for a factory bike, Marco Simoncelli.
Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo is still struggling, because he was just sixth and not only 0.
962s off of Stoner’s best time, he was also almost 7 tenths from his Yamaha team mate.
Hector Barbera was the best Ducati rider this morning in seventh with Alvaro Bautista in eighth and Colin Edwards and Karel Abraham closed out the top ten.
The Ducati factory riders were missing in action, Valentino Rossi was just 11th while Nicky Hayden was 13th, not a great start for one of Ducati’s home races, especially with satellite riders Barbera and Abraham finishing ahead of them.
MotoGP Misano FP1 results:01- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 1’34.
18002- Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
28603- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 0.
34904- Andrea Dovizioso – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – + 0.
83105- Marco Simoncelli – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 0.
90806- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
96207- Hector Barbera – Mapfre Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 1.
30008- Alvaro Bautista – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP – Suzuki GSV-R – + 1.
39909- Colin Edwards – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
40910- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 1.
50811- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11.
1 – + 1.
56512- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
77013- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11.
1 – + 1.
78014- Hiroshi Aoyama – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 1.
88715- Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
33316- Randy De Puniet – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – + 2.
46617- Toni Elias – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC212V – + 3.
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