22006 MotoGP Championship - Round 13 - Sepang, Malaysia - September 8/9/10

Dorna Day 1 Report

The humid Sepang Circuit opened for business today for the MotoGP World Championship, as they started the first practice sessions of a decisive three-race run.

Loris Capirossi knocked more than one second off his morning time (the fastest of the first free practice session) to continue one step ahead of the pack in Malaysia. Ducati Marlboro’s Italian star carried on from his victorious Brno masterclass on day one with a 2’01.711 lap, ahead of Dani Pedrosa in second. However the young Spaniard’s participation in this weekend’s Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, and perhaps even in the following race in Australia, has been cast into serious doubt after he suffered a crash in the second free practice session at the Sepang Circuit.

Repsol Honda’s Spanish rookie, who lies second in the championship, opened up a gash in his right knee after flying off his RC211V at the midway point in the session, and the awkward location of the injury means that the rider’s movement in his leg is severely limited. A small fracture in his left big toe adds to Pedrosa’s woes. He will be examined tomorrow morning by the Clinica Mobile team and his chances of competing in the 13th race of the 2006 season will be assessed.

Third place went to Kenny Roberts Jr, ahead of countryman John Hopkins and last year’s 250cc race winner Casey Stoner. Makoto Tamada rounded off the top six ahead of Valentino Rossi, who lies around a second off Capirossi’s flying lap. The returning Sete Gibernau was eighth, with Marco Melandri and Shinya Nakano completing the fastest ten. Championship leader Nicky Hayden languished in eleventh place as he desperately aims to come back from disappointment in the Czech Republic.

Hector Barbera topped off an excellent first day performance at the Sepang Circuit with a provisional pole, after a 2’08.266 lap put him at the head of the 250cc table.

The Spaniard was joined at the top of the leaderboard once again by Jorge Lorenzo, his Fortuna Aprilia team-mate who had joined him in the top two this morning. The current championship leader, one and a half tenths behind Barbera, came in ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama, Roberto Locatelli, title rival Andrea Dovizioso and Alex de Angelis. Shuhei Aoyama, seventh, was more than a second slower than Barbera’s provisional pole lap, with Martin Cardenas, Yuki Takahashi and Sylvain Guintoli completing the top ten.

Alvaro Bautista followed up on his fast early times to take provisional pole for the 125cc Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, clocking a 2’12.846 lap - more than a second faster than second placed Mika Kallio.

Behind the two riders to break the 2’14 barrier, Mattia Pasini, Joan Olive, Hector Faubel and Nico Terol completed the top six. Lukas Pesek suffered a crash, but still finished seventh, ahead of Fabrizio Lai, Tomoyoshi Koyama and Sandro Cortese.

The riders will be back on track tomorrow for the all-important qualifying sessions for the Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.