The first round of the 2011 MotoGP season has begun. The MotoGP riders took to the Losail International Circuit today for their first competitive session in months, and there was no surprise at the top. The Repsol Honda duo of Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa continued the stellar performance they displayed during the preseason, to set the two quickest laps at the Qatar track.
Stoner set the quickest lap with a 1'55.752 time. Stoner was the only rider to finish under the 1'56 mark. His closest competitor, teammate Pedrosa, finished more than a half second behind.
Surprisingly, the third place rider came in on a Ducati, and even more surprising, it wasn't Valentino Rossi. Hector Barbera claimed the third quickest time of the day behind Stoner and Pedrosa.
Rossi, who has struggled through the preseason with an injured shoulder, put in an encouraging effort today, finishing in fifth behind Marco Simoncelli.
Rossi was followed by the Fiat Yamaha duo of Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo.
Andrea Dovizioso was the final rider to finish within a second of the pace setter.
| Casey Stoner | Repsol Honda | 1'55.752 |
| Dani Pedrosa | Repsol Honda | 1'56.362 |
| Hector Barbera | Mapfre Aspar Team | 1'56.421 |
| Marco Simoncelli | San Carlo Honda Gresini | 1'56.441 |
| Valentino Rossi | Ducati Team | 1'56.479 |
| Ben Spies | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1'56.586 |
| Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1'56.586 |
| Andrea Dovizioso | Repsol honda | 1'56.592 |
| Randy De Puniet | Pramac Racing Team | 1'56.790 |
| Colin Edwards | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 1'56.879 |
The MotoGP riders will have two free practice sessions tomorrow, before the qualifying round on Saturday.
