Lorenzo sets pace in Italy

From motogp.com

The first MotoGP free practice of the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice weekend went with form on Friday afternoon at Mugello, as the top four riders in the session finished in the same positions they currently occupy in the World Championship standings.

That meant Jorge Lorenzo was the man at the top of the timesheet, his best time of 1:49.870 on the 20th of his 27 laps in the hour long session giving him an early psychological advantage.

"This is a great start but it’s too soon to speak about the race or jump to conclusions, as we’ve only had one practice,” Lorenzo said. “It’s true however that I didn’t have any problems today and I felt very happy for the whole session. Each time we come to a new track we don’t know exactly what to expect because we’re still learning the new Bridgestone tires but at the moment we seem to be fast each time and I feel very comfortable at the moment.

“It’s very hot here, even hotter than in Spain but I am okay with that because we’ve had too much rain and we all need some sunshine. I hope it will continue like this for the weekend because it’s better for everyone.”

Lorenzo was the only rider to go under the 1:50 mark, with his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi two tenths of a second behind him in second place. Rossi, the king of Mugello, will be out to stop his young colleague from gaining any further championship advantage over the next 48 hours.

In third place Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner kept the Ducatisti happy, his bright red Desmosedici GP9 gleaming in the beautiful Italian sunshine as he lapped 0.274 behind fellow youngster Lorenzo.

Fourth in the championship and making ground on the top three in recent weeks Dani Pedrosa was also fourth in the session with his best time of 1:50.808, putting the Repsol Honda man just under a second behind compatriot and rival Lorenzo, as several riders – including Pedrosa – went close to top speed records for the Italian track.

Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) set the fifth quickest FP1 lap time, with sixth fastest rider Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) lapping at a similar pace to the American and Pedrosa. De Angelis ran off track at one point at the circuit where he achieved his best result of 2008 in fourth place in his rookie campaign.

Veteran Italian rider Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) commenced his home GP in seventh place on the timesheet, while Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) showed his good form again in eighth place.

The top 10 was rounded off by Italian pair Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing).

Niccolò Canepa (Pramac Racing) was the only crasher in the session as his home GP commenced in unspectacular fashion, the Ducati rider finishing 14th overall.

The 250cc World Championship leader Álvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aspar) wrapped up FP1 0.244 secs. ahead of closest rival Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Racing), who also sits second in the point standings.

Friday’s action at Mugello got underway with a familiar figure at the head of the 125cc timesheet in free practice as World Championship leading Spaniard Julián Simón went round quicker than any of his single cylinder rivals.

The Bancaja Aspar rider, who leads the standings by 5.5 points from team-mate Bradley Smith, set the pace with a 1:59.437 lap towards the end of the session.

MotoGP Practice Times
1. Jorge LORENZO (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:49.870 (342.422km/h)
2. Valentino ROSSI (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:50.065
3. Casey STONER (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1:50.144
4. Dani PEDROSA (SPA) Repsol Honda Team Honda 1:50.808
5. Colin EDWARDS (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1:50.891
6. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1:50.898
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1:51.007
8. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1:51.030
9. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA) Repsol Honda Team Honda 1:51.206
10. Marco MELANDRI (ITA) Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1:51.359
11. James TOSELAND (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1:51.401
12. Toni ELIAS (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1:51.823
13. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1:51.994
14. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA) Pramac Racing Ducati 1:52.319
15. Nicky HAYDEN (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1:52.403
16. Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1:52.607
17. Mika KALLIO (FIN) Pramac Racing Ducati 1:52.619