Reigning MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi headed the timesheet on the first day of 2010 testing at the Sepang circuit. The 2007 champ, Casey Stoner, followed the Doctor with former Rossi teammate and current Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards third-fastest. Riders turned laps in typical sweltering Sepang temps of 40 C (that’s 104 degrees Fahrenheit for us Americans), with the track surface temperature recorded at 60 C (140 degrees). Rain at the end of the session cut the track action down, but not after nearly a full day of testing action as riders got acclimated to their new rides.

Turning 54 laps total for the day, Rossi’s time beat Stoner's by almost a full half second. The Italian looked to dial in the latest incarnation of his M1 and made the best use of limited testing time for the ’10 season.

"Today was very important because this year we have just six days of testing in which to set the bike, so we can not waste any time,” said Rossi in team PR. “This first day was very positive, we tried the new bike for 2010, with a different chassis and a new engine, which can do more kilometers, and it is quite fast. Yamaha has worked very well over the winter. Now we need to spend time on setting some electronics and other things. This is only the start but it seems we're already in good shape."

Rossi’s lead rival from ’09 and paddock-mate, Jorge Lorenzo, lapped fifth-fastest. The Mallorcan turned 57 laps on the Yamaha, waiting until the penultimate lap of the day to set his best, more than seven-tenths behind his teammate. Yamaha’s all-American satellite duo of Colin Edwards and Ben Spies were a respective third and 12th fastest – Edwards one of the three riders to dip under the 2’02 mark.

Casey Stoner led the Desmosedici charge with his second-fastest effort. The Aussie’s pace, while slower than Rossi, actually bested the track record of 2’02.108 – set in the 2007 race by none other than Casey Stoner (Rossi holds the Sepang Pole record at 2’00.518). Stoner tested a new engine for the Ducati and factory Marlboro Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden, seventh-fastest on the day, tested a new fairing for the Duc.

Ducati trails only Honda now in rides campaigning the MotoGP championship with a robust 5-rider lineup. The satellite Ducs lined up in a tidy row of ninth to 11th on the timesheet. Mika Kallio was the fastest of the three, the Finn also the hardest-working of the GP lot on Day 1 turning a total of 70 laps. Hector Barera claimed a very respectable 10th on the new-for-2010 Aspar Team, followed by fellow ’10 rookie Aleix Espargaro.

Loris Capirossi piloted the Rizla Suzuki to fourth-fastest during his 58-lap day. The eldest of the GP clan bested one of the youngest, as new rookie teammate Alvaro Bautista was 14th fastest on the day.

In the factory Honda camp, Andrea Dovizioso lapped quickest in sixth, with Dani Pedrosa eighth. Both the Repsol Honda pilots tested new engines for the RC212V, with Honda focusing on engine development due to new restrictions limiting the number of engines a rider may use over the course of a season. LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet ended the day 13th fastest. The remaining satellite Honda riders filled out the bottom of the timesheet, with San Carlo Gresini’s team Marco – Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri – a disappointing 15th and 16th and Interwetten Honda’s Hiroshi Aoyama dead last in 17th.

MotoGP Sepang Test Day 1 Results:
1. Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) 2'01.411
2. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) 2'01.902
3. Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3) 2'01.932
4. Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) 2'02.102
5. Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) 2'02.165
6. Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) 2'02.630
7. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) 2'02.792
8. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 2'02.866
9. Mika Kallio (Pramac) 2'02.987
10. Hector Barbera (Aspar Team) 2'03.030
11. Aleix Espargaro (Pramac) 2'03.133
12. Ben Spies (Yamaha Tech 3) 2'03.142
13. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) 2'03.456
14. Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) 2'03.558
15. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda) 2'03.563
16. Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda) 2'03.609
17. Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten-Honda) 2'03.651

Rider Press Release Quotes:

Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha)
"After such a long break I found it quite hard to find my rhythm on the bike today - motocross bikes are not the same as the new M1! It was quite a difficult start to the day but little by little I started to feel more comfortable and to improve my pace. This afternoon, when it was a bit warmer, I began to improve my times even more and get closer to the first rider, so in the end I was quite happy with our work. Yamaha have brought some good things for us; the bike is not completely different to the old one but the small details make it easier to ride and this is important. Today was my first day of riding with my new team manager, Wilco Zeelenberg, and I feel good with him. He is an ex-rider and so we were able to share a lot of information and he was able to give me some good advice."

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro)
“This first day was a bit difficult to understand: we started off with a setting that was quite good and that allowed us to make reasonably good lap times. We thought we would improve as the day went on but we had a few problems with chatter. We tried a lot of different combinations trying to make the bike feel a little bit better but we couldn’t really get an improvement. To be honest it was difficult to work out why because the track conditions were particularly difficult - it was so hot that it was actually hard to understand if you were make an improvement on the bike or not. In any case I’m really happy with the new engine, I think that with the other one we would have struggled more. Now the bike in general feel very good, very balanced and I’m happy with it. Hopefully the weather will be a little cooler tomorrow so that we can understand better if the changes we try are the right ones”.

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro)
“Overall the day was positive, sure it went quite fast actually and at the end of the day when we were ready to do some more laps the rain came and cut it a little bit short. It would be nice to have the chance to do some more laps. But overall the bike was feeling quite good. We made a couple of little tweaks that helped us but we struggle a lot for edge chatter. There’s not much testing before the start of the season so we’ve got to move fast: day one is in the bag, we have established a good starting point and we go from here”.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda)
"This is a very important test and it's good to be back on the bike after such a long winter break. This was a positive first day and I'm happy with the updated machine that Honda has brought here. We have a lot of work to do before we're ready and many things that need to be tested, so today's lap times are not indicative of our potential. The work that Honda has done on the electronics has made a big improvement, and also the feeling from the chassis is better. We're concentrating on improving a pace that we can maintain throughout the race, and that's what we'll continue with tomorrow. There's plenty still to test but this first session has been important to confirm we're heading in the right direction."

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda)
"This was a normal first day of testing for us. It's been a long time since we last rode the bike and so it took some time to get used to the speed once again and work back into the rhythm - this is natural.

We weren't looking for lap times or high performance and we spent a lot of the day working on the Ohlins suspension because this is a major change for us this season compared to last. The feeling from my left wrist where I had a screw removed in December was good, so this is positive. Generally, I took it carefully today and we have plenty of places where we can make further improvements - starting tomorrow."

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda)
"It was a hard day for us. The first impression was not so positive because the feeling of the bike was quite nervous. Then with the team we have worked a lot on the set up of the machine so that I could be more comfortable on the bike. Around 4:00 pm we made a long run, and the feeling of the bike improved so I'm confident for tomorrow".

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Gresini Honda)
"To be the first day of testing I can say I'm quite satisfied but I will need time to understand and know this bike. It was a useful day to understand the direction we need to follow and we also need to analyse the data. With the 250cc bike it was easier to feel the difference when you made some changes. With the MotoGP this is more difficult. Compare to the last December test here in Sepang I can say that the traction on the rear is improved but I struggle a little bit more with the front because it's more difficult to understand the limit."

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Gresini Honda)
"Today I lost a lot of time because I followed the feelings that I got at the last Valencia test, so we worked in the wrong direction for almost the whole day, then went back to the base set up and the feeling improved. At the end of the test session is started raining so I couldn't improve so much but we have clearer idea for tomorrow so I'm confident for tomorrow."

Hiro Aoyama (Interwetten Honda)
"It was a difficult day for me. I didn't find the feeling with the bike and I struggled a lot especially in braking. Compared to the bike we tested here in December, this is a different machine so I need to know the bike, get used to it and work at the set up to improve my feeling with the bike."

Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing)
"It is always nice to come back on the track but like this it was really difficult: I passed from -20 degrees of Finland to the almost 40 degrees here in Malaysia. Today was really hard and now I need a long night of rest to feel better tomorrow. The situation on the track is good; the bike has significantly improved from last season thanks to the best delivery of the new engine prepared by Ducati. We are confident that in this direction we can have a good season."

Aleix Espargarò (Pramac Racing)
"Help, here is incredibly hot. We have succeeded in achieving an acceptable chronometric result anyway as we have worked well today. First impressions on this year bike is very good: when coming out of the turns the bike is less aggressive, it seems that there is not enough power, but instead the bike is as fast as last year which is really good. It is an excellent step forward. Now it's our turn to find the best way to ride the bike and improve our lap times."