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Australia’s Casey Stoner set the pace in first practice for Sunday’s French MotoGP, smashing the Le Mans lap record in the process.
In a session dominated by the Repsol Honda team, Stoner flew round the circuit in a time of one minute 34.133 seconds - breaking Valentino Rossi’s record of 1:34.215 set in 2008 - to edge out his team-mate Dani Pedrosa, who clocked 1:34.431.
Another Honda rider, Andrea Dovizioso, was third-fastest in a time of 1:34.808, with San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli fourth in 1:35.029. sportal.co.in
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MotoGP: Casey Stoner Fastest in First Practice at Le Mans
Reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo could only muster fifth fastest and is a second in arrears on a 1’35.165 while Marlboro Ducati’s Valentino Rossi is one place behind him but another three-tenths slower while hometown hero Randy De Puniet, on the satellite Pramac Ducati, is seventh and 1.5s off the pace.
Rossi’s team-mate Nicky Hayden started the session brightly, sitting in fourth with 15 minutes left, but the American could find any more pace and closed out the hour in eighth, one place ahead of Britain’s Cal Crutchlow in ninth.
The Monster Yamaha rookie lapped quicker than Ben Spies’ factory Yamaha, which rounded out the top ten with a 1’35.743 while the second satellite Yamaha of Colin Edwards is 11th and 1.7s off the pace. BSN
Pos. Num. Rider Team Time 1 27 Casey STONER Repsol Honda Team 1'34.133 2 26 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1'34.431 3 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSORepsol Honda Team 1'34.808 4 58 Marco SIMONCELLISan Carlo Honda Gresini 1'35.029 5 1 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 1'35.165 6 46 Valentino ROSSI Ducati Team 1'35.414 7 14 Randy DE PUNIET Pramac Racing Team 1'35.687 8 69 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1'35.721 9 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'35.731 10 11 Ben SPIES Yamaha Factory Racing 1'35.743 11 5 Colin EDWARDS Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'35.871 12 65 Loris CAPIROSSI Pramac Racing Team 1'36.410 13 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'36.448 14 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'36.510 15 24 Toni ELIAS LCR Honda MotoGP 1'36.997 16 8 Hector BARBERA Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP 1'37.036 17 17 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'37.154
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