MotoGP Jerez test - Rossi fastest on day two

Factory Yamaha's Valentino Rossi has topped the timesheets on day two of MotoGP testing at Jerez but was pushed hard by team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Britain's Cal Crutchlow on the Monster Yamaha.

Factory Yamaha's Valentino Rossi has topped the timesheets on day two of MotoGP testing at Jerez but was pushed hard by team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Britain's Cal Crutchlow on the Monster Yamaha.

Rossi's lap of 1'39.525 was on 15 one-thousandths ahead of Lorenzo while Crutchlow, who is riding a satellite YZR-M1 some 18 months behind the works bikes in terms of development, was just three one-hundredths further back.

"Today we make a big modify to the setting. But I need to improve a lot. On the angle in the corner, I am still not at the maximum, so I have to work a lot on my style for try to use the M1 at 100 per cent," said The Doctor, speaking at Jerez.

"Today, I did 28 laps with the first tyre - not in a row but more than a race distance. After that, we change the tyre and make the rest of the laps, half race with a good laptime, so it looks like the rhythm is good. 

"Is possible we make a race simulation tomorrow. The two important things are the chassis and if that is good, we make a long run."

Dani Pedrosa, on the first Repsol Honda, was also within sniffing distance of The Doctor on a 1'39.630 while Andrea Dovizoso was fifth on the Ducati while complaining of understeer.

Alvaro Bautista was, you guessed it, in sixth place but suffered a crash at the end of the day which saw him fracture two fingers on his left hand. Marc Marquez was seventh and 1.1s off the pace while Stefan Bradl, Andrea Iannone and Nicky Hayden rounded out the top ten.

Bradley Smith finished just behind Hector Barbera in 12th place while Ben Spies, who is still carrying a shoulder injury, was down in 18th. Michael Laverty finished the day in 24th place. 

Jerez MotoGP test day two - conditions dry

1 ROSSI, Valentino Yamaha Factory Racing Team 1:39.52529 / 461:53.166

2 LORENZO, Jorge Yamaha Factory Racing Team 1:39.5400.0150.01522 / 341:40.442

3 CRUTCHLOW, Cal Monster Yamaha Tech 31:39.5740.0490.03429 / 441:40.097

4 PEDROSA, DaniRepsol Honda Team 1:39.6300.1050.05631 / 311:39.630

5 DOVIZIOSO, AndreaDucati Team 1:40.3220.7970.69221 / 301:41.322

6 BAUTISTA, Alvaro GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1:40.6861.1610.36425 / 351:41.153

7 MARQUEZ, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:40.7141.1890.02821 / 361:41.034

8 BRADL, Stefan LCR Honda MotoGP 1:40.7831.2580.06930 / 3210:50.514

9 IANNONE, Andrea Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team 1:41.0881.5630.30515 / 151:41.088

10 HAYDEN, Nicky Ducati Team 1:41.3251.8000.23729 / 351:41.669

11 BARBERA, Hector Avintia Blusens 1:41.3761.8510.05122 / 251:42.248

12 SMITH, Bradley Monster Yamaha Tech 31:41.3981.8730.02228 / 411:59.195

13 ESPARGARO, AleixPower Electronics Aspar 1:41.4441.9190.04644 / 481:55.080

14 PETRUCCI, DaniloCame IodaRacing Project 1:41.5292.0040.08531 / 321:41.850

15 PIRRO, Michele Ducati Test Team 1:41.6032.0780.07425 / 321:42.373

16 DE PUNIET, Randy Power Electronics Aspar 1:41.6862.1610.08324 / 341:47.643

17 CORTI, Claudio NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1:41.7012.1760.01524 / 261:42.466

18 SPIES, Ben Ignite Pramac Racing Team 1:41.7022.1770.00128 / 298:00.431

19 ABRAHAM, Karel Cardion AB Motoracing 1:41.9162.3910.21423 / 351:43.086

20 HERNANDEZ, Yonny Paul Bird Motorsport 1:42.0502.5250.13421 / 321:42.240

21 STARING, Bryan GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1:42.1072.5820.05739 / 391:42.107

22 EDWARDS, Colin NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1:42.1542.6290.04731 / 331:42.436

23 AOYAMA, HiroshiAvintia Blusens 1:43.9594.4341.80525 / 251:43.959

24 LAVERTY, Michael Paul Bird Motorsport 1:44.1854.6600.22616 / 211:45.102

25 PESEK, Lukas Came IodaRacing Project 1:44.8745.3490.68925 / 331:45.354

By MotoGP desk

Image by Bonnie Lane