In the final test before the commencement of the MotoGP season commences at the end of the first week of April, Casey Stoner of the Repsol Honda team riding the RC213V has yet again set the pace for everyone else to follow. The official three day test that has commenced at Jerez yesterday and Casey Stoner was the clear leader while the Ducatis of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi are still in the struggling phase. However, Nicky Hayden went better than Rossi and finished Friday in 6th position overall while Valentino Rossi just scraped into the top ten in ninth position. Ducati’s woes were not confined to the factory team alone with their satellite spec motorcycles running slower than the ART – CRT bike of Randy De Puniet who is riding for the Aspar team this year. Randy De Puniet finished in eleventh position just behind reigning Moto2 Champion and MotoGP debutant for this year Stefan Bradl who was riding the factory spec Honda RC213V for the LCR-Honda team.
Stoner’s teammate Dani Pedrosa went third fastest while the factory Yamaha M1’s of Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies went 2nd and 4th fastest respectively. Cal Crutchlow riding the satellite Monster Tech3 Yamaha M1 went fifth fastest, a performance that was credit worthy. His teammate riding the Yamaha M1 for the first time this year, Andrea Dovizioso who was a little unwell was able to set the eighth fastest time behind San Carlo Gresini Honda rider Alvaro Bautista who set the seventh fastest time of the day.
Ducati is working against the clock and many other odds to get the bike to be competitive enough to fight for podiums at least from race one itself.