Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest man after the winter break at Sepang, the factory Yamaha rider the only man to crack the 2'02 barrier. Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa ended the day in 2nd, a third of a second behind Lorenzo, while Monster Tech 3's Cal Crutchlow impressed on his return to a MotoGP bike by ending the day in 3rd, over half a second behind Lorenzo, but just ahead of the factory Yamaha of Ben Spies.
The new Ducati GP12 appears to be working well, with Valentino Rossi posting the 5th fastest time, just under three quarters of a second off Lorenzo. The bike - containing what appears to be an engine which has been rotated backwards to make the bike more compact - has been on track only once previously, with Carlos Checa and test rider Franco Battaini at Jerez, and the team will need to work on a lot of data, but the debut appears promising.
