Rossi on top as testing concludes

Valentino Rossi has left the final official pre-season test of 2014 leading the way, as the Italian confirmed afterwards that he was feeling much more positive than this time last year.

Just dipping inside the 2 minute mark, Rossi completed a 1:59.999 lap on his 13th lap of 41, a time that could only matched but not beaten by Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who finished exactly equal late in the day.

Andrea Dovizioso was third, completing the test less than 0.1 off the leaders in a highly successful test for the Ducati team, with Cal Crutchlow also happy in eighth. With Ducati confirming their move to the open class, however, the paddock is circulating with rumours that the Italian as on one of the lower-spec machines, albeit with 4 litres more fuel.

Aleix Espargaro completed yet another successful test in fourth, ahead of the satellite Honda of Bradl and Bautista and the factory Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo, who continues to struggle with the new Bridgestone rubber.

For a full reaction to the tests, see Wednesday 5th March’s MCN.

1 ROSSI, Valentino Yamaha Factory Racing  1:59.999  13 / 41 
2 PEDROSA, Dani  Repsol Honda Team  1:59.999 0.000 47 / 50 
3 DOVIZIOSO, Andrea Ducati Team   2:00.067 0.068 6 / 42 
4 ESPARGARO, Aleix NGM Mobile Forward Racing 2:00.101 0.102 7 / 43 
5 BRADL, Stefan  LCR Honda MotoGP  2:00.164 0.165 12 / 48 
6 BAUTISTA, Alvaro GO&FUN Honda Gresini  2:00.506 0.507 9 / 60 
7 LORENZO, Jorge  Yamaha Factory Racing  2:00.619 0.620 20 / 70 
8 CRUTCHLOW, Cal Ducati Team   2:00.790 0.791 7 / 62 
9 SMITH, Bradley  Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:00.804 0.805 69 / 71 
10 ESPARGARO, Pol Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2:01.032 1.033 6 / 54 
11 IANNONE, Andrea Pramac Racing   2:01.198 1.199 26 / 47 
12 DE PUNIET, Randy Team Suzuki MotoGP  2:01.430 1.431 53 / 55 
13 HERNANDEZ, Yonny Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 2:01.497 1.498 51 / 56 
14 EDWARDS, Colin NGM Mobile Forward Racing 2:01.748 1.749 23 / 35 
15 HAYDEN, Nicky  Drive M7 Aspar   2:01.924 1.925 57 / 59 
16 PIRRO, Michele  Ducati Test Team  2:02.029 2.030 0.105 8 / 48 
17 AOYAMA, Hiroshi Drive M7 Aspar   2:02.070 2.071 61 / 61 
18 REDDING, Scott  GO&FUN Honda Gresini  2:02.228 2.229 48 / 50 
19 BARBERA, Hector Avintia Racing   2:02.341 2.342 13 / 54 
20 NAKASUGA, Katsuyuki Yamaha Factory Test Team 2:03.115 3.116 3 / 30 
21 DI MEGLIO, Mike Avintia Racing   2:03.499 3.500 15 / 52 
22 ABRAHAM, Karel Cardion AB Motoracing  2:04.304 4.305 5 / 29 
23 AOKI, Nobuatsu  Team Suzuki MotoGP  2:06.482 6.483 3 / 14