Rossi´s first 2009 M1 test cancelled due to rain

Newly-crowned MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi was able to enjoy a well-deserved morning off on Monday, as his scheduled first test with the 2009 Yamaha M1 was cancelled due to rain.

Pencilled in for an initial encounter with the machine onboard which he will attempt to retain his title next season, Rossi will instead have his first test with the bike at a later date, perhaps left until the first post-race session of the season at Valencia late next month. The weather conditions at Motegi, the scene of his sixth MotoGP title win on Sunday, were deemed to be unsuitable for a maiden test with the Japanese company´s latest model.

One of two rivals to share the podium with Rossi over the weekend, Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa tackled the adverse weather to continue his testing work with the RC212V. On the occasion of his 23rd birthday, the Spaniard ran 23 laps of the Twin Ring Motegi circuit before drawing his session to a close at 1pm as rain lashed down. His fastest time of the test was a 1´48.110.

`This morning we mainly concentrated on engine tests, comparing data and performance with some different electronic mapping. It is important for us to keep on learning about this bike, and working to improve the set up of the pneumatic valve engine with Bridgestone tyres. We started testing before 10.00am, but we couldn´t do too many laps because it started raining around lunch time,´ said Pedrosa, who was presented with a cake by his mechanics at the conclusion of the test.