Rain hits GP test

Rain has put a stop to most of the fun on the second day of GP tests at Phillip Island but a few riders made use of the time to get a feel for their bikes in the wet.

Marco Melandri used a total of 19 laps to conclude that the 2006 RCV is much better in the wet than last year’s bike but it was Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano who set the fastest lap of the day at 1:42.6.
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Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden came in second fastest ahead of Melandri.

MotoGP rookies Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner both crashed out but came away positive with the days work.

Pedrosa said: “Today it has been raining all day. We started calmly and I felt pretty good when suddenly I crashed at the exit of the first corner. Luckily I was okay and I could start again. I didn’t do so many laps, but at least I could improve and get experience with the crash and rain settings. My best lap time isn’t really fast, but it’s quite good for today after the crash and with just 32 laps. Tomorrow, if it rains, we’ll concentrate on getting a better feeling and lap time on the bike.”

Unofficial times:

Shinya Nakano 1:42.6

Nicky Hayden 1:42.62

Marco Melandri 1:42.63

Toni Elias 1:42.96

Randy de Puniet 1:43.3

Makoto Tamada 1:43.74

Dani Pedrosa 1:44.87