250cc : Qatar Official Test - Day OneAfter a series of tests under difficult weather conditions in Europe, the 250cc riders were today given a welcome full day of practice in Qatar at the MotoGP Official Test.
Able to ride the whole day at the first of two sessions
at the Losail International Circuit, it was a valuable opportunity for the quarter litre contenders to get their programs back on course.
Reigning 125cc World Champion and 250cc debutant Alvaro Bautista was the fastest rider of the day, setting out his stall early by becoming the first rider to go faster than last year's pole position time. The Spaniard never looked back, clocking a series of impressive laps despite a strong wind blowing through the desert, and finished with a best lap of 2'00''620 on a day where he focused mainly on the bike's set-up.
Bautista was over half a second faster than Aspar team-mate Alex de Angelis, and nearly a second quicker than 250cc World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The latter, working with both the 2006 and 2007 bikes, was faster that his pole lap but still unable to go quicker than Bautista and De Angelis at the track where he took his second victory last season.
The riders concluded their testing at 5pm local time, with the early sunset meaning a lack of light for further action. They will be back on track for the final day of 250cc preseason testing tomorrow.
Official test Qatar – 250cc – Day One – Official times :
Alvaro Bautista – Master MVA Aspar – 2'00''620
Alex de Angelis – Master MVA Aspar – 2'01''289
Jorge Lorenzo – Spain's N°1 Aprilia – 2'01''529
Andrea Dovizioso – Humangest Honda – 2'01''616
Roberto Locatelli – Metis Gilera – 2'02''051
Héctor Barbera – Team Toth – 2'02''290
Fabrizio Lai – Campetella Racing – 2'02''360
Mika Kallio – Red Bull KTM – 2'02''547
Thomas Luthi – Emmi Caffe Latte – 2'02''935
Hiroshi Aoyama – Red Bull KTM – 2'02''964
DORNA / CAPSIS International
