Former FIM MotoGP World Championship winner Casey Stoner started his bid to get his 2010 title chase back on track by setting the fastest time in practice at Jerez.
The Ducati Marlboro rider started from pole position in the opening race in Qatar but crashed out, handing the win to arch-rival Valentino Rossi.
With the second race in Japan postponed due to travel chaos caused as a result of a volcanic eruption in Iceland, Stoner has been left waiting for the chance to make up for his opening-round failure. The Press Association
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MotoGP: Casey Stoner Fastest in First Practice at Jerez
Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, who has started the past two races at the circuit from pole position, was second fastest of the session as he lapped at just over a tenth of a second off Stoner’s pace.
The Ducati Marlboro rider’s team-mate Nicky Hayden completed the top three times as he set out on a positive foot, pacing at a fraction over 0.4s off his colleague’s lap time.
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa will be one of the Spanish contingent looking to make home advantage count this weekend as he seeks a vast improvement, and he was fourth in the hour-long session as he took his RC212V around at just under half a second off Stoner’s marker.
World champion Valentino Rossi, who won in Qatar, was fifth fastest as he nursed a bruised back from a motocross accident earlier this month. The Italian was 0.628 behind Stoner. Auto Racing Daily
Pos. Num. Rider Team Time 1 27 Casey STONER Ducati Marlboro Team 1'39.731 2 99 Jorge LORENZO Fiat Yamaha Team 1'39.875 3 69 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Marlboro Team 1'40.148 4 26 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1'40.200 5 46 Valentino ROSSI Fiat Yamaha Team 1'40.359 6 65 Loris CAPIROSSI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'40.716 7 5 Colin EDWARDS Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'40.913 8 40 Hector BARBERA Paginas Amarillas Aspar 1'41.034 9 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'41.093 10 33 Marco MELANDRI San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'41.190 11 11 Ben SPIES Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1'41.200 12 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Repsol Honda Team 1'41.277 13 14 Randy DE PUNIET LCR Honda MotoGP 1'41.293 14 36 Mika KALLIO Pramac Racing Team 1'41.297 15 58 Marco SIMONCELLI San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'41.533 16 41 Aleix ESPARGARO Pramac Racing Team 1'41.742 17 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1'41.837
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