Stoner tops Friday practice in Estoril

The top 17 MotoGP riders were separated by less than a second on a very close first day of practice for the Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril today. The 4.182km (2.597-mile) Estoril circuit provides the challenge for round 14 of the MotoGP World Championship. Casey Stoner topped the time sheets on Bridgestone tires, followed by Makoto Tamada on qualifying Dunlops and Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa close behind on Michelins. With the track surface conditions expected to further improve, tomorrow’s practice and qualifying sessions promise to be close, exciting and unpredictable.

Pos Rider Make Time Behind
1. Casey Stoner Ducati (B) 1:37.950
2. Makoto Tamada Yamaha (D) 1:37.989 + 0.039
3. Valentino Rossi Yamaha (M) 1:38.120 + 0.170
4. Daniel Pedrosa Honda (M) 1:38.201 + 0.251
5. Randy de Puniet Kawasaki (B) 1:38.287 + 0.337
6. John Hopkins Suzuki (B) 1:38.471 + 0.471
7. Loris Capirossi Ducati (B) 1:38.481 + 0.481
8. Nicky Hayden Honda (M) 1:38.518 + 0.568
9. Alex Barros Ducati (B) 1:38.613 + 0.663
10. Sylvain Guintoli Yamaha (D) 1:38.630 + 0.680
11. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki (B) 1:38.655 + 0.705
12. Carlos Checa Honda (M) 1:38.669 + 0.719
13. Anthony West Kawasaki (B) 1:38.723 + 0.773
14. Shinya Nakano Honda (M) 1:38.761 + 0.811
15. Toni Elias Honda (B) 1:38.843 + 0.893
16. Marco Melandri Honda (M) 1:38.919 + 0.969
17. Colin Edwards Yamaha (M) 1:39.050 + 1.100
18. Alex Hofmann Ducati (B) 1:39.117 + 1.167
19. Kurtis Roberts KR (M) 1:42.227 + 4.277