Rate it!

2 votes

Reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi was delighted when his perfect pre-season form carried over during the night test in Qatar.

The Fiat Yamaha rider had been fastest on all four days of previous 2010 testing at Sepang in Malaysia, one of his favourite circuits.

But in the night test at Losail Ducati's Casey Stoner was expected having won the Qatar race for the last three seasons, but Rossi beat the Australian's best time by 0.315 seconds.

New MotoGP rider Ben Spies came in third, 0.552 seconds behind Rossi, for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.

"I am so happy today because this isn't one of our best tracks and to come here and be fastest shows what a great job Yamaha has done with this new M1," said Rossi.

"To start with the track was quite slippery but anyway we were still fast, and as the track started to improve I felt better and better.

"We are quite competitive and this gives me a good feeling, and I was happy to make this quick lap right at the end. We still have to decide the right tyre and the best setting for it, and we will keep working on the electronics but the most important thing is that we're faster than last year!

"Tomorrow we will continue with our work and try to finalise everything before the race."

Tech 3's Colin Edwards was fourth fastest, while Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, making his return from a hand injury, was seventh.

The final night of 2010 MotoGP pre-season testing starts on Friday evening. The first race of 2010 will then take place back at Qatar on the evening of April 11.

Test times from Qatar:

1. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 55.402 sec (64 laps)

2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 55.717 sec (48 laps)

3. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 55.954 sec (44 laps)

4. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1min 56.540 sec (59 laps)

5. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 1min 56.588 sec (54 laps)

6. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1min 56.811 sec (65 laps)

7. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team 1min 56.838 sec (45 laps)

8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 56.855 sec (77 laps)

9. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 1min 56.923 sec (72 laps)

10. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 57.047 sec (60 laps)

11. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 57.099 sec (40 laps)

12. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 57.605 sec (63 laps)

13. Hector Barbera SPA Paginas Amarillas Ducati 1min 57.822 sec (62 laps)

14. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1min 57.888 sec (75 laps)

15. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1min 57.891 sec (63 laps)

16. Aleix Espargaro SPA Pramac Racing 1min 57.898 sec (67 laps)

17. Alvaro Bautista SPA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 57.960 sec (56 laps)

Crash.net / Eurosport