RAIN INTERRUPTS QATAR TEST FOR REPSOL HONDA TEAM2009-03-01 17:10The first installment of the official MotoGP night test in Qatar was unexpectedly halted by rain today as the Grand Prix paddock assembled at the Losail International circuit near Doha. Shortly after the circuit opened at 6pm and the first riders had ventured out, a heavy shower brought proceedings to an abrupt halt. With no sun to dry the floodlit surface, wet patches remained on parts of the track until the end of the test at 12 midnight. With lap times rendered largely meaningless, Repsol Honda pilot Dani Pedrosa - along with several other riders - elected not to ride today. His team-mate Andrea Dovizioso completed 15 laps to get a general feel for the Honda RC212V, as this was his first taste of the Losail track riding the MotoGP machine - though the Italian was not riding in the closing minutes of the test when the track was at its driest. The factory Honda pair and their pit crews will return to the desert circuit tomorrow, looking to the skies and hoping for clear weather. Official lap times Nicky Hayden 2m 00.717s 31 laps Marco Melandri 2m 00.867s 35 laps Mika Kallio 2m 01.020s 29 laps Alex De Angelis 2m 01.074s 15 laps Niccolo Canepa 2m 01.328s 26 laps Chris Vermeulen 2m 01.843s 6 laps Yuki Takahashi 2m 03.221s 18 laps Andrea Dovizioso 2m 03.233 s 15 laps James Toseland 2m 03.417 s 7 laps Randy De Puniet 2m 03.580s 18 laps Colin Edwards 2m 03.652s 8 laps Toni Elias 2m 08.637s 3 laps Jorge Lorenzo 2m 24.832s 1 laps Valentino Rossi 12m 31.872s 1 laps Dani Pedrosa 0 laps Casey Stoner 0 laps Loris Capirossi 0 laps Source: Repsol Honda Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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