Sepang: Gibernau fastest

The final day of MotoGP testing has seen Sete Gibernau remain the quickest rider on the track, having improved slightly on his time from day two.

Once more it was the Ducati duo of Gibernau and Loris Capirossi who finished the day with the fastest times. Gibernau achieved a time of 2:01.03, followed by Capirossi with 2:01.08. The Hondas of Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa finished third and fourth quickest overall, with reigning world champion Valentino Rossi putting his Yamaha fifth quickest.

Britian’s James Ellison finished the test in 19th place, with a time of 2:04.17 for his first outing on the Tech3 Yamaha. But his time was over four seconds quicker than his qualifying time for the Malaysian GP in 2005 on the Blata WCM.

Many of the teams decided to focus on race simulation in the afternoon session with the practice grand prix starting at 2pm, following a typical race timetable.

“This morning we worked 100 per cent on tyres with Michelin,” said Rossi. “Last year at the race here we had some problems in that area, but Michelin have brought a lot of new tyres here and they seem to be very good. This afternoon i did the race simulation which was also promising. In general I am happy with this first test and with the evolution of the new bike. Yamaha is working especially hard on improving the stability and making it easier to find the right settings. The engine is also better. Now it’s important that we try the bike at a different track and I think it will be interesting in Qatar.”

The next test for Camel Yamaha will be in Qatar on February 6,7 and 8. Kawasaki, meanwhile, head to Australia and Philip Island for three days from January 31, with Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet seventh and eighth quickest at Sepang.

Sepang final unofficial times:

1. Sete Gibernau (Ducati) 2:01.03.

2. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2:01.08.

3. Marco Melandri (Honda) 2:01.12.

4. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 2:01.51.

5. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2:01.60.

6. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2:01.69.

7. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) 2:01.78.

8. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) 2:02.18.

9. Toni Elias (Honda) 2:02.30.

10. Chris vermeulen (Suzuki) 2:02.43.

11. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 2:02.54.

12. Casey Stoner (Honda) 2:02.67.

13. K Akiyoshi (Suzuki) 2:02.80.

14. John Hopkins (Suzuki) 2:03.05.

15. Alex Hofmann (Ducati) 2:03.20.

16. Kenny Roberts Jr (KR Honda) 2:03.37.

17. Cardoso (Ducati) 2:03.50.

18. Ito (Ducati) 2:03.60.

19. James Ellison (Yamaha) 2:04.17.