Dani Pedrosa managed to claim pole for a short period, but was unable to hold Stoner off and had to settle for second position.

Jorge Lorenzo claimed third position, and will be pleased to be ahead of his team-mate Ben Spies for the first time in the last couple of days.

MotoGP Qualifying Times:

1. Casey Stoner Honda 1m54.137s
2. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m54.342s + 0.205s
3. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m54.947s + 0.810s
4. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda 1m54.988s + 0.851s
5. Ben Spies Yamaha 1m55.095s + 0.958s
6. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m55.223s + 1.086s
7. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m55.229s + 1.092s
8. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m55.578s + 1.441s
9. Valentino Rossi Ducati 1m55.637s + 1.500s
10. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m55.647s + 1.510s
11. Randy de Puniet Pramac Ducati 1m55.656s + 1.519s
12. Hiroshi Aoyama Gresini Honda 1m55.724s + 1.587s
13. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m55.881s + 1.744s
14. Loris Capirossi Pramac Ducati 1m56.323s + 2.186s
15. Karel Abraham Cardion Ducati 1m56.665s + 2.528s
16. Toni Elias LCR Honda 1m57.992s + 3.855s

MotoGP track action is over for 2010, and the two big stories that fans are left with to ponder on over the winter break are Casey Stoner’s instant success on the Honda RC212V, and Valentino Rossi’s subdued and (to many) disappointing start on the Ducati.

Quotes from the riders on the second day of MotoGP testing in Valencia below:

Jorge Lorenzo – 2nd (1′32.179, 30 laps)
“Basically we tried some new tyres from Bridgestone today, they had quite a different feeling, but there wasn’t a big difference in general performance. We also reconfirmed the settings we tried yesterday so we’ve given Yamaha some good data to work with over the winter. I’m very happy with how the test has gone; I’m quite tired so I’m looking forward to having some rest now and coming back strong to start again.”

Ben Spies – 3rd (1′32.322, 49 laps)
“We’ve had another good day and another day of learning. We messed with the bike a bit, changed some settings and went in a positive direction. So another good session working with the new crew again, I’m very happy with it. I read some comments from Jorge about the new engine for next year, he seemed to be happy with the way that was going so I look forward to seeing that in Malaysia. I’m looking forward to now having a couple of months of then getting back to it!”

Marco Simoncelli -4th (1’32” 450 – 63 laps)
“That was a great day. We worked a lot on a new shock and choosing the suspension for next year. We also managed to experiment with my position on the bike and did some tyre tests at the end of the day. It has been a very positive test overall, we have been fast and consistent and I am delighted with it. Unfortunately I have had a couple of little crashes – the first one caused by a bump and the other simply because I was leaned over too far and I crashed at 35km/h. The first one set us back but it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that I am leaving Valencia feeling extremely satisfied.”

Dani Pedrosa – 5th (1:32.497, 48 laps)
“The test was positive because, even if I couldn’t do long runs due to my physical condition, my lap times were quite good and I could get a clear idea about what we liked and what we need to change to make a step forward. We tested the new prototype machine again and it has some good points that can help us to move forward and also some other areas I didn’t like so much, but it’s not a completely different bike and this is what I asked for, so I’m happy about that. This test was planned to work basically on the chassis and engine; we improved the braking – the bike is more stable – but the engine is still too aggressive from my point of view. We are looking forward to the Sepang test where we can put all the things we liked together, and also do some testing with the new suspension that I haven’t tried yet, with the target of achieving better grip and braking power. I also tested two different spec Bridgestone tyres and they worked well. In general I’m satisfied with the work we have done because I’ve been suffering a lot during the whole weekend with my shoulder, but in spite of this I could give good information to the team for the next test in February. Tomorrow I will go to the doctor again to have a CAT scan, an MRI scan and vascular tests to find out what’s wrong with my shoulder. I don’t know yet if I will need more surgery, but if it’s necessary I will do it.”

Nicky Hayden – 6th 1:32′583
“That’s it – the season is finally over! Today was a positive day for us. We tried the screamer and it wasn’t easy to switch between engines but it was important to do a proper test on them both and get the data we need to make an important decision. I am leaning towards sticking with the big bang but we will make the decision together. In general I am happy because we have been pretty quick. We know there is a lot of work to do but we are ready to get on with it. We tried a new Bridgestone, which I liked a lot and actually I did my fastest time on it. I also went well on the race tyre we used on Sunday and we were just a couple of tenths off my best. We tested some other things that I liked but we need to test them more. I want to thank everybody in the team because they did a great job as always even though it wasn’t easy, coming on the back of two races.”

Álvaro Bautista – 7th (1’32.738, 86 laps)
“Today has been another good day because after testing the new forks yesterday and getting a good base setting, I was able to go straight out and improve my lap-time. We continued through the day to test other stuff and I tried a new frame with new specifications, and I quickly felt it was much better than the old one. That means that we have made a step forward and with it I was able to do my best time. At the end of the day I tested some new compound Bridgestone tyres, there were three different styles, but I didn’t feel much difference between them all. I am happy because the whole crew has done a good job today and I want to say thank-you to Suzuki because I think we made steps forward at this test and with the data from here I hope they can bring me some more new and better stuff from Japan for the test in February.”

Randy De Puniet – 8th 1′32.836
“Also today I really enjoyed my new bike. The Ducati, as I said yesterday, it seems very suited to my riding style and I am confident that the evolution of 2011 will be even better. The release of the power of the engine is very smooth and I have good handling entering turns and this allowed me to push with confidence since the first laps. I still have to improve my riding position when cornering because I am not yet in perfect harmony with the seating. The lap times are good and I think that the general impression of this first two days can be positive. A pity for the slip in the last exit: probably the rear tyre was still too cold and while trying to improve my best lap time I lost control of the rear and slipped in the first right-hand turn.I am anyway happy also because with the Team I found my self at ease straight away installing a good feeling and this can only help us for our adventure together.”

Andrea Dovizioso – 9th
“I’m happy with the material that Honda brought here and today we worked on the electronics, such as traction control and engine braking, and we made some decent progress. Honda brought a lot of new material here, so we shared the work among the factory riders and I focused on testing electronics controls, although I also tested a slightly different chassis. We also tested the new suspension from Ohlins – the next evolution of the items we tested in Brno in August. They worked well and I had a positive feeling with them. We still need to improve the stability under braking and this is an area we will continue to focus on for next year. This morning I woke up with a fever and this complicated the day. Fortunately this morning I was feeling ok so I tested everything that was scheduled. In the afternoon it became much harder because of the fever though. I’m not so happy with the final lap time, and this is not the best way to finish things before the winter break, but with the fever I couldn’t do better. Overall though this was a positive test in terms of the work we got through.”

Hiroshi Aoyama – 12th (1’33” 105, 83 laps)
“I am really happy to have finished this second day of the test with a good feeling with the bike. I am satisfied with the work we have done, trying out different setting solutions and some different tyres. It has been a positive day overall. By the end I got really confident with the bike and I was able to improve my lap time from qualifying at the weekend. I feel good with the team and we are already working well together so I think that when we start working even closer at Sepang we’ll take another step forward and soon be ready to race.”

Colin Edwards – 12th (1.33.325, 34 laps)
“I feel pretty tired now after six days of riding but this test has been very positive and we have gained a lot of good information about next year’s bike. I was able to confirm a few things we found out yesterday and the 2011 bike has a lot of potential. The chassis and engine are a definite step forward and we can look forward to next year with a lot of optimism. I want to thank my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew for their fantastic effort and support again this year. I’m now looking forward to the winter break, spending a bit of time relaxing before training hard and getting ready for 2011 when we get back on the bike at Sepang in early February.”

Cal Crutchlow – 13th (1.33.483 – 74 laps)
“I am really happy with the way today went. To finish with a consistent pace and feeling much more comfortable on the bike, I am already excited about being back on track in Malaysia. Obviously I’ve got so much to learn and I’d say the biggest challenge is learning how hard you can push the Bridgestone tyres. They are completely different to what I am used to but I am making progress, pushing without taking too many risks at this stage. There’s no doubt that the pace in MotoGP is unbelievable and you have to push to your maximum on every single lap. To be less than 1.5s off Stoner at my first proper test is a real boost for my confidence and I was able to do a lot of laps in the 1.33 bracket, which was race pace last weekend. I feel really at home in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and together I think we can look forward to a positive 2011.”

Toni Elias – 17th (1’34.800, 86 laps)
Elias: “Today I feel a bit tired because this bike is physically demanding compared to the Moto2. In the winter break I will train more to reinforce my muscles. However today I felt more easy-going but I am still looking for the best base set up for me. My main issue was the bike balance so I could not push as I would like but I am not worried about it. I have got a lot of experience on these bikes and I know it takes time to adapt. The best way to improve my feeling on this machine is to work hard together with the Team”.

Filippo Preziosi, General Director Ducati Corse
“After these two days of tests we will go back to Ducati for a meeting, where we will decide which path to take between the two engines, the big bang and the screamer, although the information we have is pointing towards the former. It will be a decision we will make by analysing the data in depth as well as planning the way forward around all the other things we learnt at the test. The objective is clearly to allow Valentino to ride like Valentino! We know we have to improve the bike in order to achieve this, especially the front end. He has given us some very precise information and now it is down to us to use it. We would obviously have liked to give him the opportunity to go faster today but even though that wasn’t the case he has impressed everybody over the last two days with the way he works, his calm approach and his positive attitude towards everything. Nicky also worked very hard, as usual, and set a good lap time on the new Bridgestones as well as the ones we were already using, which is another big positive. Now we have to work to give them both a more competitive bike for the next test.”

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director Pramac Ducati
“These two days have been very useful for us as this winter we can work on some solutions to be used in first tests of the new year. Loris is confident, he sees many areas for improvement and in the first test at Sepang in 2011 we will work with confidence on performance over a single lap. We are pleased with our new riders and we are sure that next year, the tenth in MotoGP for Pramac, we can take much satisfaction.”

We’ll keep updating this page with images as they appear from the Valencia MotoGP test.

Pit Lane and track drying up:

Rossi arriving at the Ducati garage….on a Yamaha scooter:
[photo from BatiFans]

Rossi chatting in the Ducati garage:

Lorenzo’s Yamaha:

Rossi coming out on the Ducati:
photo credit: http://yfrog.com/0qsminj]

Rossi lapping on the Ducati:
[http://yfrog.com/emk1stj]

[http://yfrog.com/emk1stj]

Casey Stoner on the Honda:
[Photo from garethbouch]

Valentino Rossi:
[Photo from garethbouch]

Loris Capirossi’s Pramac Ducati livery:
[source: birtymotogp]

Jorge Lorenzo and the Number 1 plate:

Casey Stoner held an early lead and took second place after being challenged by Lorenzo, and Valentino Rossi finished his career at Yamaha in third position.

MotoGP Race Results: Valencia:

1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 46m44.622s
2. Casey Stoner Ducati + 4.576s
3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha + 8.998s
4. Ben Spies Tech 3 Yamaha + 17.643s
5. Andrea Dovizioso Honda + 19.160s
6. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda + 20.674s
7. Dani Pedrosa Honda + 26.797s
8. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati + 29.288s
9. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki + 29.451s
10. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda + 29.860s
11. Aleix Espargaro Pramac Ducati + 31.761s
12. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha + 33.604s
13. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda + 36.622s
14. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda + 38.968s
15. Carlos Checa Pramac Ducati + 56.169s

Retirements:

Loris Capirossi Suzuki 13 laps
Nicky Hayden Ducati 2 laps

MotoGP Qualifying Results:
1. Casey Stoner Ducati 1m31.799s
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m32.130s + 0.331s
3. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda 1m32.244s + 0.445s
4. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m32.330s + 0.531s
5. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m32.422s + 0.623s
6. Ben Spies Tech 3 Yamaha 1m32.566s + 0.767s
7. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m32.579s + 0.780s
8. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m32.603s + 0.804s
9. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m32.886s + 1.087s
10. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda 1m32.917s + 1.118s
11. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda 1m32.925s + 1.126s
12. Aleix Espargaro Pramac Ducati 1m33.085s + 1.286s
13. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m33.170s + 1.371s
14. Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m33.339s + 1.540s
15. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda 1m33.343s + 1.544s
16. Carlos Checa Pramac Ducati 1m33.499s + 1.700s
17. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m33.515s + 1.716s

Local hero and reininging World Champion Jorge Lorenzo took second, with Dovizioso in third.

After narrowly missing out on his first MotoGP podium in Estoril last week, Marco Simoncelli was instantly on form to take 4th position. With echos of last week’s Estoril race, Simoncelli was just kept out of the top 3 by the smallest of margins by Andrea Dovizioso.

Ben Spies was out on track despite dislocating his ankle last week at Estoril – the texan suffered a fall but walked away unhurt and finished the session inside the top 10.

Valencia 2010: MotoGP Practice Times:
1. Casey Stoner Ducati 1m32.897s
2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m33.455s + 0.558
3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m33.500s + 0.603
4. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda 1m33.631s + 0.734
5. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m33.714s + 0.817
6. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m33.757s + 0.860
7. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m33.857s + 0.960
8. Randy De Puniet LCR Honda 1m33.899s + 1.002
9. Ben Spies Tech 3 Yamaha 1m33.929s + 1.032
10. Aleix Espargaro Pramac Ducati 1m34.029s + 1.132
11. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m34.053s + 1.156
12. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m34.123s + 1.226
13. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda 1m34.160s + 1.263
14. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m34.506s + 1.609
15. Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m34.864s + 1.967
16. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda 1m34.904s + 2.007
17. Carlos Checa Pramac Ducati 1m35.172s + 2.275

The early laps saw some frantic scrapping between Lorenzo, Rossi, Stoner, and Hayden, with Rossi eventually coming out on top to take an early lead. Rossi managed to stretch out a slight gap and looked to be set to run away with the victory.

Lorenzo got stronger as the race progressed and stayed with Rossi, with both Yamaha’s building up a huge gap on the rest of the pack (which was slightly depleted with Casey Stoner crashing out on the 5th lap) – Lorenzo eventually made his move on the brakes in the first turn of lap 17.

As soon as Lorenzo took the lead he started dropping a succession of fastest laps that cemeted his victory.

The most entertaining battle of the race was the fight between Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli for 3rd place. Both riders exchanged positions multiple times in some breathtaking moves throughout the final third of the race with Dovi taking the final podium by 0.059s.

Ben Spies failed to start the race after a highside on the sighting lap that resulted in a dislocated ankle.

Estoril – MotoGP Race Results:

1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 46m17.962s
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha + 8.629s
3. Andrea Dovizioso Honda + 26.475s
4. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda + 26.534s
5. Nicky Hayden Ducati + 27.154s
6. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda + 28.297s
7. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha + 30.109s
8. Dani Pedrosa Honda + 44.947s
9. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda + 1m13.649s
10. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati + 1m17.721s
11. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki + 1m17.908s
12. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda + 1m33.025s
13. Loris Capirossi Suzuki + 1m39.752s

Retirements:

Carlos Checa Pramac Ducati 12 laps
Casey Stoner Ducati 4 laps
Aleix Espargaro Pramac Ducati 0 laps
Ben Spies Tech 3 Yamaha DNS

[Image from Alex Briggs Tiwtter acount: http://plixi.com/p/53812557]

Heavy rain was once again the star of the session as qualifying was cancelled due to the treacherous conditions. The decision to cancel qualifying means that Jorge Lorenzo will start from pole position as the fastest times from the previous practice sessions will now determine grid positions for tomorrow’s race.

MotoGP Qualifying Positions – Estoril:

1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m48.853s
2. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m49.435s + 0.582s
3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m50.007s + 1.154s
4. Casey Stoner Ducati 1m50.081s + 1.228s
5. Ben Spies Tech 3 Yamaha 1m50.313s + 1.460s
6. Marco Melandri Gresini Honda 1m50.500s + 1.647s
7. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1m50.787s + 1.934s
8. Randy de Puniet LCR Honda 1m50.824s + 1.971s
9. Colin Edwards Tech 3 Yamaha 1m51.250s + 2.397s
10. Marco Simoncelli Gresini Honda 1m51.518s + 2.665s
11. Aleix Espargaro Pramac Ducati 1m51.916s + 3.063s
12. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m52.734s + 3.881s
13. Loris Capirossi Suzuki 1m53.018s + 4.165s
14. Alvaro Bautista Suzuki 1m53.317s + 4.464s
15. Hector Barbera Aspar Ducati 1m53.537s + 4.684s
16. Hiroshi Aoyama Interwetten Honda 1m53.933s + 5.080s
17. Carlos Checa Pramac Ducati 1m54.073s + 5.220s

All of them came back in except for Aoyama who did his best to bank a few laps, with his fastest coming in at 2m 21.217s.

Estoril MotoGP Practice Times: Friday:

1. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Interwetten Honda MotoGP 2m 21.217s
2. Carlos Checa ESP Pramac Racing 37m 47.795s
Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team No Time
Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team No Time
Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team No Time
Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team No Time
Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 No Time
Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini No Time
Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 No Time
Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing No Time
Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini No Time
Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP No Time
Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP No Time
Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar No Time
Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team No Time
Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP No Time
Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team No Time

Héctor Barbera is looking for a step up in performance in Estoril in what he says feels like a home GP, describing it as “practically another Spanish round”.

Héctor Barberá:
“On one hand I was looking forward to getting home because it is tough to be away for a month but on the other hand you are with friends, doing what you love and enjoying yourself. Since I got back I have been thinking about the next Grand Prix in Portugal. It is practically another Spanish round because so many of our fans go there. I always enjoy riding at Estoril and I won the 125cc race there back in 2004 so I think I can do well this weekend. A lot of the characteristics of the circuit are suited to my riding style and I am convinced I can be fast there on the the Ducati.”