Jorge Lorenzo set the standard at Sepang on Friday afternoon, kicking off the weekend with the fastest lap time in the first MotoGP practice.
A margin of 0.064s separated Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner in Free Practice 1 of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix weekend, as the Fiat Yamaha rider recorded the quickest time in the opening MotoGP session.
On the weekend in which Valentino Rossi could seal the 2009 World Championship title, it was his team-mate – who trails the Italian by 38 points in the standings – who set the pace in humid conditions, with the ambient temperature reaching an energy-sapping 31°C.
Lorenzo set a best lap of 2’02.180 in a tight session, with the top four riders – including Rossi – breaking the 2’03 barrier. MotoGP
Marlboro Ducati rider Casey Stoner continued his fine form since returning from illness with second place, with Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa in third and Rossi in fourth.
A fourth-place finish on Sunday will be enough for Rossi to take his seventh premier-class world championship even if Lorenzo wins, and the Italian was in relaxed mood as he lapped 0.684 seconds slower than his young rival.
Rossi said: “I am quite happy, even if the time and the position isn’t perfect.” The Press Association
“We worked mainly with old tyres to understand the nature of the bike when it’s sliding, which is important here, but actually my pace was very consistent and I think we can make another step tomorrow”, he said. “It seems that Bridgestone have brought good tyres here, they are working very well despite the very hot temperatures and the fact that the track is a little bit dirty today. We still need to find a little bit more grip so we will look to improve the setting of the bike for this in the morning - it’s going to be very important to be on the front row for Sunday. I think the race will be very hard and we will have to take care to prepare properly and drink a lot of water because it is very, very hot.” Yahoo! Eurosport
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