Dani Pedrosa topped the timesheets on the first day of testing at Sepang
Last Updated: February 26, 2013 2:00pm
Dani Pedrosa's rivals said his Honda was the machine to beat after the Spaniard dominated testing at Sepang.
Pedrosa picked up where he left off after setting the pace on all three days at the Malaysian track in the first test period earlier this month.
The three-time world championship runner-up set a fastest lap of two minutes, 1.580 seconds early in the session before rain confined many of the riders to their garages.
World champion Jorge Lorenzo posted the second fastest time ahead of Marc Marquez on the other Repsol Honda with Stefan Bradl placing fourth and Lorenzo's Yamaha team-mate, Valentino Rossi, fifth.
Nine-time world champion Rossi admitted his team had a lot to do to match the acceleration of the Repsol Hondas.
"I stayed behind him (Pedrosa) for two or three corners and in acceleration, the Honda is very fast," said Rossi, who was 0.448 seconds off the pace.
However, Pedrosa played down suggestions that a maiden MotoGP title was his for the taking, saying the Honda team was still working hard to find more improvements.
"We have some things more or less clear for the season, but we're still deciding yes or no for the hardware. When it's all set, then I can feel more where I am," said the 27-year-old.
