Pedrosa happy with recovery and test progress

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) got the testing season off to a fast start by leading a strong Honda charge on the first day of 2011 MotoGP testing on the sultry Sepang Circuit in Malaysia.

In only his second ride on the Repsol Honda RC212V, the 2007 MotoGP World Champion immediately adapted to the updated machine. The fastest of his 52 laps of the 5548m track was 2m., 1.574s., just .037s off the pole position time from the 2010 race. His gap to the second fastest rider, world champion Jorge Lorenzo, was a healthy.403s.

The Australian wasn’t the only Honda rider to start strongly. Team-mate Dani Pedrosa finished the day with the third fastest time as he continues to recover full strength in the shoulder he injured in last year’s Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi. Pedrosa was only .027s behind the pace of his fellow Spaniard, Lorenzo.

The three-rider Repsol Honda team worked well together, with Stoner and Pedrosa testing the 2010 fork, while Andrea Dovizioso, the third member of the team, tested the 2011 version.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V): 3rd, 2m, 2.024s
“I ‘m pretty happy with how things went today. My priority was to see how I was on the bike after so long without riding and the feeling has been positive. Obviously, I still have less strength under braking and lack of stability in the shoulder with the direction changes, but the cramps have gone and this is very positive for me. We have time to continue with my physical training and gain the strength that I need for when the season starts. I honestly didn’t expect to do so many laps today. I started with the 2010 bike to get the feeling back, because in the second half of the season our bike was competitive and we want to begin improving from there. Then I tried a new swingarm and a new chassis, in the last two runs, and my best lap time has been with the new parts, so it’s also positive. The plan for tomorrow is to test the new engine.”

Source: Honda Racing