Casey Stoner made an impressive start to his Repsol Honda career as he set the fastest time at the start of the first official MotoGP test of 2011.
The former Ducati rider’s best lap time was two minutes 1.574 seconds, just over four-tenths of a second ahead of reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Stoner’s Ducati successor, Valentino Rossi, was 12th as he continued his recovery from shoulder surgery.
MotoGP’s sole British rider, debutant Cal Crutchlow, was 16th fastest.
Stoner snatched top spot from Lorenzo right at the end of the session, with team-mate Dani Pedrosa setting the third best time to wrap up an encouraging first day of testing at Sepang for the Repsol Honda team.
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The team’s third rider, Andrea Dovizioso, was eighth fastest.
Rossi’s main goal for the day was to get more comfortable with his new bike as he continues to recover from surgery on the right shoulder injury which hampered him last season.
He was the best-placed Ducati rider, ahead of team-mate Nicky Hayden, with Pramac Racing’s Loris Capirossi and Aspar’s Hector Barbera also on Ducatis in the next two places.
The 2011 season starts at Losail in Qatar on 20 March, with coverage of qualifying and all the season’s races across the BBC, on television, the red button and on the BBC Sport website.
Pre-season testing results, day one, Sepang:
1 C Stoner Repsol Honda Team 2:01.574
2 J Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 2:01.977
3 D Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 2:02.024
4 M Simoncelli San Carlo Honda Gresini 2:02.295
5 B Spies Yamaha Factory Racing 2:02.332
6 A Bautista Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2:02.422
7 H Aoyama San Carlo Honda Gresini 2:02.483
8 A Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 2:02.507
9 C Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:02.514
10 R de Puniet Pramac Racing Team 2:03.152
11 K Akiyoshi HRC Test Team 2:03.224
12 V Rossi Ducati Marlboro Team 2:03.365
13 N Hayden Ducati Marlboro Team 2:03.508
14 L Capirossi Pramac Racing Team 2:03.695
15 H Barbera Aspar Team 2:03.767
16 C Crutchlow Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:04.009
17 T Elias LCR Honda MotoGP 2:04.238
18 K Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 2:04.470
