Rossi leaves Sepang on top

REIGNING MOTOGP World Champion Valentino Rossi ended the two-day test at Sepang at the top of the timesheets, posting a best of 2:00.925, only half a second slower than the record pole time for the track, which he set last year.

Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who topped the timesheets in the morning test, finished the day third fastes twith a time of 2'01.680 after 60 laps. The Fiat Yamaha team-mates were split by former MotoGP world Champion Casey Stoner, who posted a best of 2:01.320 on his Ducati GP10.

The team will return to Sepang at the end of the month for the second of three pre-season tests.

At the end of the official two-day test for this year's MotoGP riders, Rossi said:

"After yesterday this second day has been very good as well, even though we lost a few hours to the rain, and the end we were still able to finish all our work. We worked on the new bike to find a better setting and I was happy to be the fastest overall - even though this is just testing this is important for me! At the next test we will have a few more new things but we're already happy because we're fast and strong. There is room to improve of course; Sepang is always a good track for the Yamaha so we will have to wait until Qatar to get a better understanding of our level, but we have made a great start."

Friday PM test times

1. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha 2:00 925 sec (32 laps)
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro 2:01.320 sec (36 laps)
3. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha 2:01.680 sec (60 laps)
4. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda 2:01.822 sec (50 laps)
5. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:02.266 sec (31 laps)
6. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda 2:02.272 sec (56 laps)
7. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:02.479 sec (42 laps)
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro 2:02.493 sec (55 laps)
9. Aleix Espargaro SPA Pramac Racing 2:02.647 sec (33 laps)
10. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2:02.763 sec (48 laps)
11. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 2:02.810 sec (55 laps)
12. Hector Barbera SPA Aspar Ducati 2:03.032 sec (51 laps)
13. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP 2:03.043 sec (48 laps)
14. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Interwetten Honda MotoGP 2:03.195 sec (56 laps)
15. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 2:03.245 sec (49 laps)
16. Alvaro Bautista SPA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2:03.274 sec (37 laps)
17. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 2:03.359 sec (53 laps)