A few drops of rain hit Phillip Island during today’s a little more than half way during first free practice, but the sun and a stiff wind quickly improved the track conditions as the riders continued to use the softer slick tire compound option.
Casey Stoner, who is looking to take his sixth consecutive win on his home circuit immediately set a blistering and literally untouchable pace for the rest of the field.
With a phenomenal 1′30.
374 lap – the Australian who has now turn 3 officially named after him – seemed not to have any problems from his healing ankle as he was the only one to break the 1.
31 mark as Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo – who could tie up the MotoGP championship on Sunday afternoon – was second, but a massive nine tenths adrift.
Title rival Dani Pedrosa who was third and 0.
254s after suffering from a huge tank slapper, while even further back were Andrea Dovizioso, Alvaro Bautista and Cal Crutchlow (who is suffering from bronchitis and a fever).
Nicky Hayden was the top Ducati rider in 7th and 1.
9 seconds and the best Ducati rider while Stefan Bradl separated him from his team mate Valentino Rossi who was already more than 2.
2 seconds from the phenomenal Stoner.
Randy De Puniet put his ART machine in 10th more than abundantly not only edged out both Ducati satellite rider Karel Abraham and Hector Barbera but also his team mate Aleix Espargaro.
Michele Pirro who will be leaving MotoGP at the end of the season to become Ducati’s test rider along with Franco Battiaini crashed out and finished the session 15th.
Australian rider Kris McLaren (who competes in the CEV Moto2) is replacing injured Yonny Hernandez in the Avintia Blusens team (Hernandez dislocated his left collarbone at Motegi and was forced to skip the Sepang round last weekend) was last and more that 10 seconds off pace in his MotoGP debut.
Ben Spies’s unlucky 2012 season ended last weekend at Sepang when a crash left him with a shoulder injury that forced him to undergo surgery that will needy a lengthy recovery period that will keep him out the final two rounds but also from his first test with Ducati.
MotoGP Phillip Island FP1 results:01- Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 1’30.
374 02- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.
905 03- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 1.
159 04- Andrea Dovizioso – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
594 05- Alvaro Bautista – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 1.
665 06- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.
825 07- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 1.
938 08- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 1.
982 09- Valentino Rossi – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 2.
281 10- Randy De Puniet – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP12 – + 2.
892 11- Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 3.
002 12- Hector Barbera – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP12 – + 3.
297 13- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP12 – + 3.
353 14- Roberto Rolfo – Speed Master Team – ART GP12 – + 4.
796 15- Michele Pirro – San Carlo Honda Gresini – FTR Honda MGP12 – + 4.
826 16- Danilo Petrucci – CAME Iodaracing Project – Ioda Suter BMW – + 5.
037 17- James Ellison – Paul Bird Motorsport – ART GP12 – + 5.
053 18- Colin Edwards – NGM Mobile Forward Racing – Suter BMW – + 5.
341 19- Ivan Silva – Avintia Blusens – BQR FTR – + 6.
978 20- Kris McLaren – Avintia Blusens – BQR FTR – + 10.
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