After a three-month break, MotoGP teams returned to the track Thursday, conducting the first in a series of testing at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The tests allow teams to work on the prototypes that will compete in this year’s world championship.

And the fastest of the 17-rider field? Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi.

The defending champion Rossi had a best time of 2.01:411 on his Yamaha M1, just a second slower than his time at the 2009 Sepang meeting that secured him the pole position.

“Today was very important because this year we have just six days of testing in which to set the bike, so we can not waste any time, Rossi said. “This first day was very positive, we tried the new bike for 2010, with a different chassis and a new engine, which can do more kilometers, and it is quite fast. Yamaha has worked very well over the winter. Now we need to spend time on setting some electronics and other things. This is only the start but it seems we're already in good shape.”

The provisional 2010 MotoGP entry list was officially released Wednesday, with 17 riders slotted to compete for the world championship.

All competition is expected to come down to four riders: Fiat Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, Marlboro Ducati rider Casey Stoner and Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa.

The four are all in the last year of their contracts, and are expected to be the main four chasing the title. But there’s also much anticipation for the new arrival to Moto GP competition as World Superbike and AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies joins the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team with fellow American Colin Edwards.

The new teams for this year are Aspar Ducati with former 250GP rider Hector Barbera and Interwetten Honda with Hiroshi Aoyama. Also racing in the premier class this year are former 250GP riders Marco Simoncelli on the San Carlo Gresini Honda and Alvaro Bautista on the Rizla Suzuki.

The first of 18 races will be at Qatar on April 11.

For the complete entry list of riders, click here.

The third week of January 2010 found Valentino Rossi out testing a 2008 Ferrari Formula 1 race machine at the Catalunya circuit in Spain. Ferrari let him do the test as a reward for winning another MotoGP championship in 2009 – his seventh premier class titles.

They only gave him a few days, but that is much more than anyone else has been invited by Ferrari to do, no matter who they are. Rossi is special and the powers-that-be at the Italian exotic car concern know this very well. The reason the Italian is respected so highly by the company has to do with the times he can turn on a track with their vehicles.

Could MotoGP title holder Valentino Rossi possibly possess any faster driving skills, regardless of what type of machine he’s controlling?

The nine-time world champion finished up two days and more than 370 miles of testing a Formula One Ferrari F2008 at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain Thursday.

His best lap time? Under clear track conditions in Montmeló, the 30-year old posted a best time of 1:21.9 during his second-to-last lap…just shy of the lap record of 1:21.67 set by Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland in 2008.

According to the Italian Web site GPOne.com, Valentino Rossi was admitted to a hospital in Pesaro, Italy, Thursday night due to severe abdominal pains. The 2009 MotoGP Champion was suffering from a serious inflammation of the appendix, not yet diagnosed appendicitis, but the doctors said emergency surgery was not needed.

Rossi was sent home to rest and is taking antibiotics, GPOne.com reported. Appendicitis usually involves the removal of the appendix to avoid further complications. If the appendix remains inflamed, it commonly leads to peritonitis, which can be fatal.

To clear up everything, GPOne.com called Dr. Cladio Costa Friday at the Clinica Mobile where Rossi was admitted. Dr. Costa told GPOne.com: “I can confirm the news which as emerged so far. The results of the tests show that the situation does not require surgery. Valentino can recuperate with just some medication, and everything should be fine.

“It’s possible that infection can take place in that part of the intestine, which can result in inflammation. The problem now is that such cases can recur, even if they've been successfully treated.”

But if Rossi has an operation? “Rossi asked me how long it would take before he could ride again if he decided to have an operation,” Dr. Costa told GPOne.com. “I answered that it would be just a couple of days.”

No matter what country MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi makes an appearance in, he draws a huge crowd.

The Number 46 Fiat Yamaha rider made his maiden voyage to India this weekend, making a visit to the 10^th Auto Expo in New Delhi. Over 300 Yamaha dealers and members of the press showed to see and interview Rossi.

A true motorcycle lover, the Italian’s thoughts immediately speed towards racing: “I hope that one day we will have the chance to race here …racing in a Grand Prix in India, well I hope to, if there is one in India,” Rossi told Indian media.

The nine-time world champion met with Masao Furusawa, Executive Officer for Engineering Operations at Yamaha Motor Company. Rossi also met with John Abraham, one of the biggest Indian film stars and ambassador for Yamaha India.

“This is my very first visit to India and I am impressed by the beauty of this country, although sadly I did not have much time to visit Delhi,” Rossi told Indian media. “I hope to be able to come back soon and have more time to enjoy this place. Yamaha has been doing great things here and the positive response from the market is the evidence that they have been going in the right direction.

"The new models YZF-R15 and FZ16, which are less-powerful replicas of the R1 and the Fazer, are definitely appropriate for this market and for the characteristics of the traffic here in India. In fact I am amazed at the traffic and the incredible numbers of cars and bikes on the road all the time, by day and night! It was great to see John Abraham, I met him a few years ago when he came to a race so it was nice to see him in his own country, where he is very famous!”

Rossi will return to his hometown of Tavullia Sunday night to relax for two weeks before winter testing begins in Malaysia.

Every January, mainstream sports media critiques the past year, listing the best world athletes. But the end of 2009 also brought about the end of a decade, and the media has also been recognizing the best athletes of the decade.

Talent can’t go unnoticed, and MotoGP star Valentino Rossi is being rated as an outstanding world athlete, placing motorcycle racing in perspective with other highly popular sports such as tennis and Olympic swimming.

Rossi came to the world stage of racing in 2000, and since has won seven premier-class championships. This placed his achievements alongside Swiss tennis star Roger Dederer, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Olympic record holder for the 100 and 200 meters dash Usain Bolt.

The evaluation methods differ. For some assessments, well-known publications decide who’s best, and for others the athletes themselves vote and set the rankings.

Dani Pedrosa wins Round 17, the final round of the 2009 MotoGP season

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Content Editor

Racing before a home crowd, Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa won the final round of the 2009 MotoGP season, leading every lap from start to finish at Valencia. After pole-sitter Casey Stoner didn’t make the grid due to a high-side during the warm-up lap, the Spaniard Pedrosa, who started on the front row, charged to the front and saw nothing but clear track during the entire Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana.

“It’s fantastic to win here and I really wasn’t expecting it,” Pedrosa said. “We had some problems with the setup but in the end we proved we were competitive.”

With the win, Pedrosa finished third in the championship with 234 points, edging out Stoner. The Australian won at Valencia last year, and although he missed three races due to chronic fatigue, the Marlboro Ducati rider still finished fourth in the championship with 220 points.

Finishing 2.63 seconds behind Pedrosa was Valentino Rossi, who secured his ninth World Championship (seventh in the premier class) with his second-place finish at Malaysia. The Fiat Yamaha rider’s second-place finish at Valencia was his 13th podium of the season. The Italian’s final points were 306.

“We were a lot slower this weekend, but it didn’t matter as I was already the world champion,” said Rossi. “I’m happy. Tomorrow (Monday) we will go out and try the new bike for next season.”

Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo finished third, 2.91 seconds behind Pedrosa. The Spaniard almost crashed during the opening lap, but he held on. And because Stoner didn’t start, the second-place spot in the championship was sealed from the first lap of the race. He finished second in the championship with 261 points.

“The stable called me and said Stoner was out of the race. I should have put my foot down but instead I allowed Dani to take a second up on me and that was enough,” Lorenzo said. “All in all it has been a good season and I will come back stronger next term.”

Two American’s rounded out the top five, with Colin Edwards taking fourth on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3, a lengthy 32.15 seconds behind winner Pedrosa, and Ducati Marlboro rider Nicky Hayden taking fifth after holding off San Carlo Honda Gresisni rider Toni Elias.

Edwards’ finish allowed him to finish the championship in fifth with 161 points, just one point ahead of Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso.

In seventh was the other American, Ben Spies, who entered into his first MotoGP race this weekend as a Wildcard for the Sterilgarda Yamaha Team. Spies, who just won the 2009 World Superbike title during his rookie year in the series, will be teammates with fellow Texan Edwards during the 2010 MotoGP season.

Spies held of Dovizioso, who finished in eight; by holding off Dovizioso, Spies helped his future teammate Edwards secure fifth place in this year’s championship.

Finishing ninth was Rookie of the Year Mika Kallio of Pramac Racing, and tenth went to San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alex de Angelis.

For Round 17 results, click here.

MotoGP Final Point Standings:

• 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Fiat Yamaha Team: 306
• 2. Jorge LORENZO (SPA), Fiat Yamaha Team: 261
• 3. Dani PEDROSA (SPA), Repsol Honda Team: 234
• 4. Casey STONER (AUS), Ducati Marlboro Team: 220
• 5. Colin EDWARDS (USA), Monster Yamaha Tech 3: 161
• 6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (ITA), Repsol Honda Team: 160
• 7. Toni ELIAS (SPA), San Carlo Honda Gresini: 115
• 8. Alex DE ANGELIS (RSM), San Carlo Honda Gresini: 111
• 9. Loris CAPIROSSI (ITA), Rizla Suzuki MotoGP: 110
• 10. Marco MELANDRI (ITA), Hayate Racing Team: 108
• 11. Randy DE PUNIET (FRA), LCR Honda MotoGP: 106
• 12. Chris VERMEULEN (AUS), Rizla Suzuki MotoGP: 106
• 13. Nicky HAYDEN (USA), Ducati Marlboro Team: 104
• 14. James TOSELAND (GBR), Monster Yamaha Tech 3: 92
• 15. Mika KALLIO (FIN), Pramac Racing: 71
• 16. Niccolo CANEPA (ITA), Pramac Racing: 38
• 17. Gabor TALMACSI (HUN), Scot Racing Team MotoGP: 19
• 18. Aleix ESPARGARO (SPA), Pramac Racing: 16
• 19. Sete GIBERNAU (SPA), Grupo Francisco Hernando: 12
• 20. Ben SPIES (USA), Sterilgarda Yamaha Team: 9
• 21. Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), Scot Racing Team MotoGP: 9

The Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, Round 17: the final round of the 2009 MotoGP season.

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Content Editor

Although Valentino Rossi secured the 2009 MotoGP title with a second place finish at Malaysia, the season finale at Valencia in Spain will decide many battles for closing positions in the championship.

With this year’s title, Rossi has nine world (seven premier) championships, but this year was tough for the Italian, with only six wins, the least he’s ever taken in any championship. The 30-year-old is expected to challenge whoever comes near for a podium finish, which may be his Fiat Yamaha teammate and biggest rival, Jorge Lorenzo.

But Rossi also said he will try to enjoy the racing since the title is clenched: “I am very happy to be going to the final race with the championship won and the pressure off, now we can just enjoy ourselves. It's been a fantastic year and now we just have one more weekend before we start work for 2010. Valencia hasn't been a great track for me in the past and I've had some bad times there, but at the moment we're in great shape and our bike is working well everywhere we go, so I hope it will be the same at Valencia. It's a great place to finish and the atmosphere is amazing, so we will just do our best and hope for another good race to end off a great season.”

Lorenzo should have a solid second-place finish in the championship if he gains just one point; 25 points separate him from Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner, who has finished on the podium in every race since returning from a three-race hiatus (Brno, Indianapolis and Misano) due to an illness that causes severe fatigue. There’s only one way the Spaniard Lorenzo can loose second: if he doesn’t have a finish that accumulates points and Stoner wins.

And this track is no stranger to Stoner. Last year, the 24-year-old Australian won, and the season before he took second: “My Ducati has always run really well there and I’ve been on the pace for the past couple of seasons – in testing and in the races – so obviously we’re hoping that trend continues, even though we will have to make a few small adjustments to the bike. We’re finally at the end of the season and already looking forward to the next one, so if we can win this race then great, if not we’ll try and finish the year with a podium and then start working towards next year.”

As for Lorenzo the 22-year-old has never won at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, but had finished as runner-up in 2005 before clinching the first of his two 250cc titles there in 2006.

“Valencia is an amazing place to finish the championship, at home, with your fans. I’ve never got a victory here and I know that it's not one of the best tracks for Yamaha, but I am confident that I can try to change that and finish the championship in the best possible way. The last two races haven't been great for me and I really want to get over that. Furthermore, I need one point to become ‘vice-champion’ and I would really like to do that with a podium or a win. That’s my aim in Valencia.”

In fourth and 11 points behind Stoner is Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa won at Valencia in 2007, finishing second last year.

“I always look forward to the Grand Prix here, and this year is no different. It’s a circuit I really enjoy riding at, even though it’s quite a tight layout, but what makes it really special is the way that you can feel the support from the fans all the way round the circuit. And of course, being a Spanish rider, I get a lot of positive attention here which gives you some extra motivation too. I’ve had some good results at Valencia in the past, and this weekend it would be great to finish off the year with a win - that’s what I want. It’s not been the easiest of seasons and we haven’t been able to challenge for the championship so I’m even more determined to sign off on a high note. The result at the last race, where I got on the podium for the first time in wet conditions, has given me a lot of confidence too. We know it can rain at Valencia, so we’re ready for anything this weekend.”

The fifth-place battle is very tight, with just six points separating the other Repsol Honda rider, Andrea Dovizioso and the American Colin Edwards on the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha. Currently in sixth, Edwards capitalized on Dovizioso’s crash at Sepang, and tightened the battle significantly.

And don’t forget Ben Spies. The World Superbike Champion and future partner of Edwards will be racing this weekend as a Yamaha wildcard. “I’m really excited for the opportunity to race at Valencia this weekend,” said Spies. “I’m fully aware that MotoGP is a big step up from World Superbike and realize it’s not going to be possible to achieve the same results in my first year there. I see this weekend as an opportunity to spend some time on the bike and start learning it for next season, and to have some fun as well!”

The Valencia circuit, named after Spanish rider Ricardo Tormo, is unusual due to its design built within a stadium complex that makes it possible for every seat in the house to view any part of the circuit. Valencia, which should bring 130,000 spectators, measures just over 4 kilometers, and has been on the MotoGP calendar since 2002. One of the few tracks to run counter-clockwise, it’s known for tight corners connected by short straights, flip-flop chicanes and slow-speed infield corners.

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Content Editor

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards will be a guest on Dave Despain's "Wind Tunnel" Sunday, discussing his hopes for fifth place in this year's MotoGP Championship.

If the 35-year-old finishes the points race in fifth place after the final round at Valencia on November 8, it'll be his second-best championship finish; Edwards is currently only four points behind Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso.

Edwards will also discuss his new teammate for 2010, Ben Spies. Next year's Tech 3 team will be all American (and all Texan), and Edwards has showed much excitement about his new partner: "I think Ben Spies is going to be good – he’s obviously got a lot of talent. You come over and you’re hot. You’ve got a guy that’s accustomed to winning and fighting for the win all the time, then you’re going to make him go on a bike that under normal circumstances is not going to be as fast as the factory bikes. But next year it might be different with the engine rules, maybe all the engines will be the same, I have no idea. But he’ll be fast, he’ll be good and I’m excited at the prospect of working with him.”

Check out "Wind Tunnel" at 10 p.m. (EST) this Sunday, Nov. 1, on SPEED.