FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY

The Ducati Marlboro Team completed the second and final day of testing at Sepang, Malaysia, today with both riders extremely satisfied with the performance of their Desmosedici GP10 machines. Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden were both in highly competitive form today, clocking the second and third fastest times of the session respectively.
 
Like the rest of the riders the pair used the first three hours of the session, from 10am to 1pm, followed by a further two hours from 4pm to 6pm to do the majority of their set-up work. Slightly cooler temperatures at that time of the day compared to the intense early afternoon heat provided the most suitable conditions.
 
Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team)  2nd fastest,  2’00.512  (33 laps)

“When we first went out this morning the track conditions were a huge improvement on yesterday thanks to the slightly cooler temperatures, which meant the track was less slippery. That allowed us to get the best out of the bike and we were able to set some fast times. We started out with the same setting we finished with yesterday, which I already liked, and we changed just a couple of things and were able to immediately set a strong pace. It is just a shame that the red flag came out right after we put the new medium tyre on. I missed out on a few laps because of that but it wasn’t a big deal. We are really satisfied with the package we have now and the progress we have made so far. If you ask me I’d say we are starting off from a stronger base than last year so now we’ll just have to wait and see if we can get straight on the pace in Qatar."
 
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team)  3rd fastest,   2’00.703 (42 laps)

“I am obviously really happy because the changes we made yesterday afternoon that enabled me to go a couple of tenths faster despite the heat have proved to work even better today with the track in improved condition. After making small steps for the last few test sessions today we have finally taken a big leap forward and I was able to ride fast. The arm wasn’t too bad but it still isn’t as strong as before, which I can feel more than anything in the hard braking, and it was hard work today. Anyway, I am recovering well and now we move on from Sepang feeling really happy."
 
Sepang Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2007) 2’02.108
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2009), 2’00.518
 
Unofficial lap times - Friday 26th February
 
1.        Rossi (Yamaha) 2:00.271
2.        Stoner(Ducati) 2:00.512
3.        Hayden (Ducati) 2:00.703
4.        Edwards(Yamaha) 2:00.988
5.        Spies (Yamaha) 2:01.014
6.        Capirossi (Suzuki) 2:01.320
7.        Dovizioso (Honda) 2:01.439
8.        Pedrosa (Honda) 2:01.478
9.        Aoyama (Honda) 2:01.692
10.     Bautista (Suzuki) 2:01.732
11.     De Puniet (Honda) 2:01.980
12.     Melandri (Honda) 2:02.078
13.     Barbera (Ducati) 2:02.080
14.     Kallio (Ducati) 2:02.082
15.     Espargaro (Ducati) 2:02.367
16.     Simoncelli  (Honda) 2:03.689


THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY

The Ducati Marlboro Team completed the first day of a second test session at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia today as they continue their preparations for the 2010 MotoGP season. Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden were second and eleventh fastest on the unofficial time sheets today, without using the new tyres (hard front and medium rear) that Bridgestone have made available to the teams here. Both riders plan to try the new rubber during tomorrow’s second and final day.
 
Stoner knocked a tenth off his best time from the last test at Sepang three weeks ago on just his second outing of the day and reported positive feedback from the new bike. Hayden also managed to improve his lap times from the previous session here although he was careful not to put too much stress on his right arm, which underwent surgery two weeks ago.

Casey Stoner can handle the Duke that's for sure !

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team)  2nd fastest 2’01.219  (43 laps)
 
“Today went really well, we have taken a good step forward since the last test three weeks ago. We didn’t make any major changes to the bike at the start, preferring to make small adjustments as the day progressed, working in particular on the swingarm. I’m satisfied – the bike feels well balanced and the characteristics of the new engine make it easier to ride in general. We definitely have room for improvement in terms of the set-up – we could find some more traction, for example, although we are still better off in this respect than we were here last year. We could also improve the bike under braking, especially in the hard braking zones, and find some more edge grip but it is a case of refining a few details. We have a good base to work from so I’m happy for today."
 
Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team)  11th fastest 2’02.221 (65 laps)

“We started out with the setting from the previous test, working a little bit with the geometry, and in some parts of the track we got better but there is still plenty of room for improvement. We’ve been working on trying to solve a little front-end chatter and we did that a little by changing to the carbon swingarm. The arm is ok enough but I didn’t want to push it too hard."
 
Today unofficial lap times

1.    Rossi (Yamaha) 2:01.068
2.    Stoner (Ducati) 2:01.219
3.    Dovizioso Honda2:01.631
4.    Capirossi(Suzuki) 2:01.687
5.    Spies(Yamaha) 2:01.84
6.    Edwards(Yamaha) 2:01.897
7.    Pedrosa(Honda) 2:02.036
8.    Kallio(Ducati)  2:02.038
9.    Bautista (Suzuki) 2:02.078
10.    Melandri(Honda) 2:02.086
11.    Hayden(Ducati) 2:02.221
12.    Aoyama (Honda) 2:02.419
13.    Espargaro (Ducati) 2:02.447
14.    Barbera(Ducati) 2:02.485
15.    De Puniet(Honda) 2:02.535
16.    Simoncelli(Honda) 2:03.254