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2009-03-02 Qatar day 1 times and impressions
 Post your comment or read existing 1 comments
 First day of official MotoGP test in Qatar was spoiled by rain, which started just few minutes after the session officially started. At around 9pm a group of rider representatives, including Stoner and Rossi, convened with the circuit officials to discuss the state of the track not only because of the rain but also because of the sand that had blown onto the surface beforehand. With the section between turns 11 and 12 still damp, the riders continued to wait and at around 10:30pm track action resumed, although Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Capirossi and Stoner decided to wait for better conditions tomorrow. Some of the riders decided to take the track anyway, with Nicky Hayden finishing first Qatar session in first place, in front of returning single Kawasaki of Marco Melandri. Read some of rider impressions after day 1 in Qatar.
Nicky Hayden - 2:02.717 - 31 laps:
I haven't seen rain in Qatar in all my life and I never thought I would! But today we'd barely got the bike on track and it started to come down. We had to spend a long time in the garage because even though a part of the track had dried out there was a section that stayed damp for a while. The track conditions were tricky and there wasn't much feedback, which meant we couldn't do the work we had planned. We've got a few different things to try so hopefully the weather is better tomorrow so we can get some work done.
Alex De Angelis - 2:01.074 - 15 laps:
I only did 2 exits this evening but the track conditions were not good and the tyres were spoiled after five laps. Anyway, it was important to get the feeling again and be ready for tomorrow.
Yuki Takahashi - 2:03.221 - 18 laps:
We started with the same setting we had in Malaysia to check the feeling and see the differences but unfortunately the track conditions were not good. The track had no grip and I didn't want to push too much, it was better not to risk for the first day with these conditions.
Andrea Dovizioso - 2:03.233 - 15 laps:
It was a strange day: finding rain conditions in the desert is very unusual. It was a pity. We only did a few laps even if the track conditions were not good, but I wanted to gather some data and be ready for tomorrow. This is a demanding track, with long turns and it is important to test here, especially in preparation of the championship and the first race.
Randy De Puniet - 2:03.580 - 14 laps:
I can go to sleep with a good feeling. In fact I was not happy when I left Sepang because I hadn't found the right position on the bike. This evening we only did 18 laps because of the rain, but they were enough for finding a good position on the bike, so I'm confident for tomorrow.
Toni Elias - 2:08.637 - 3 laps:
We decided not to test because the track was dirty, so we decided to spare the tyres for tomorrow. We hope tomorrow it will be fine and we can use the whole session at its best.
Jorge Lorenzo - 2:24.832 - 1 lap:
I went out and on the third lap it started to rain – I couldn’t believe it! It seems strange to have rain in the desert and it’s been a nightmare for the team because we have lost a whole day. I hope it’s better tomorrow because I really want to try the new electronic system and also I need to keep working to improve with the Bridgestone tyres.
Valentino Rossi - 1 lap:
Five minutes of rain really gave us a lot of problems today. First we waited and then finally we decided to abandon it. I hope tomorrow it’s back to normal because this was our worst race last year and we need the time to see where we are and continue to improve with our new package.
Losail Circuit
Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008) 1:55.153
Best pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha – 2008) 1:53.927
Unofficial lap times 01/03/2009:
1. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) 2:00.717 (31 laps)
2. Marco Melandri (Kawasaki) 2:00.867 (35)
3. Mika Kallio (Ducati) 2:01.020 (29)
4. Alex De Angelis (Honda) 2:01.074 (15)
5. Niccolò Canepa (Ducati) 2:01.328 (26)
6. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) 2:01.843 (6)
7. Yuki Takahashi (Honda) 2:03.221 (18)
8. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) 2:03.233 (15)
9. James Toseland (Yamaha) 2:03.417 (7)
10. Randy De Puniet (Honda) 2:03.580 (18)
11. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 2:03.652 (5)
12. Toni Elias (Honda) 2:08.637 (3)
13. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2:24.832 (1)
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