Lorenzo leads the way at Sepang

A margin of 0.064s separated Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner in Free Practice 1 of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix weekend, as the Fiat Yamaha rider recorded the quickest time in the opening MotoGP session.

On the weekend in which Valentino Rossi could seal the 2009 World Championship title, it was his team-mate – who trails the Italian by 38 points in the standings – who set the pace in humid conditions, with the ambient temperature reaching an energy-sapping 31°C.

Lorenzo set a best lap of 2’02.180 in a tight session, with the top four riders – including Rossi – breaking the 2’03 barrier.

Stoner followed Lorenzo closely, with Dani Pedrosa just over half a second further down at third in the order as Rossi came in fourth, registering a time 0.684s off Lorenzo’s. It was the perfect start to the weekend for the Spaniard, whose crash at Phillip Island last weekend all but ended his hopes of wrestling the title from Rossi.

Pedrosa’s Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso completed the top five with a best lap of 2’03.142, while fellow Italian Loris Capirossi was just over 0.1s behind him.

Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) were all inside the top ten.

motogp.com will provide exceptionally extended coverage of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, with Live Video Broadcast of the MotoGP Free Practice 2 session available from 09:55 to 10:55 local time on Saturday as the riders make their final preparations ahead of the qualifying session.