Laguna action commences in cool California conditions

The California sunshine which welcomed MotoGP to Laguna Seca on Thursday was nowhere to be seen on Friday morning, as the riders and teams prepared for another early session with cool track temperatures, as they have experienced so many times already in 2008.

Stable conditions and some afternoon sunshine are forecast for the opening day of action on the eleventh GP weekend of the year, with the MotoGP riders due out on track for their usual pair of sixty-minute free practice runs at 10am and 1.55pm, with rookies Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Alex de Angelis set for their first experiences of the Laguna challenge.

The early going will see championship-chasing Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa test his fitness, the young Spaniard being uncertain of his ability to compete this weekend due to the hand and ankle injuries he sustained in his costly crash at Sachsenring last Sunday.

The day will also see free practice and qualifying sessions for the riders in the AMA Superbike, AMA Supersport and Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup series, with MotoGP guest riders Ben Spies (Rizla Suzuki) and Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki) sure to be busy as they participate in both the World Championship and Superbike outings.