Pedrosa throws down gauntlet as in France

MotoGP World Championship leader Dani Pedrosa kicked off the premier class activity in France on Friday morning with a 1´34.646 lap of Le Mans, building his case for victory at the Alice Grand Prix de France.

The Spaniard was just a tenth of a second ahead of countryman Jorge Lorenzo, as the top four in the opening session for the MotoGP riders reflected that of the overall standings.

Trading the seat of his wheelchair for that of his Fiat Yamaha M1, Lorenzo once again put in a performance that belied his injuries and discomfort, edging out his teammate and Shanghai race winner Valentino Rossi on the rookie´s first 800cc outing in Le Mans.

Reigning World Champion Casey Stoner was the final rider to go round in under 1´35, in fourth place ahead of 2007 poleman Colin Edwards and winner Chris Vermeulen on their respective Yamaha and Suzuki machinery.

With a new clutch at their disposal from Honda, JiR Team Scot´s Andrea Dovizioso and San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Shonya Nakano were next in the early ranking, with Kawasaki rider John Hopkins and Tech 3 Yamaha newcomer James Toseland rounding off the top ten.