Alvaro Bautista top in early testing for 2013 MotoGP season in Valencia
Alvaro Bautista made the most of early conditions to set the fastest time in first testing for the 2013 MotoGP season.
Last Updated: 18/12/12 5:03pm
With the 2012 season only just completed, riders were back on their bikes with some, like Valentino Rossi, having their first blowout with a new team.
Rossi returns to Yamaha next season but he was, like the remaining riders present in Valencia, scuppered by bad weather and failed to set a flying lap in dry conditions.
Gresini Honda rider Bautista set an early time of one minute, 35.936 seconds under leaden skies that would soon drop plenty of rain on the circuit and stop teams challenging him over the rest of the day.
Stefan Bradl was second for LCR Honda with Loris Capirossi's effort dropped from the list after the second session was completed - he was riding Bradley Smith's Tech 3 Yamaha after the Briton opted not to ride.
Andrea Dovizioso set the third fastest time on his Ducati with Hiroshi Aoyama fourth for Kawasaki but their times were four and nearly seven seconds off the pace respectively.
Rossi did run 28 laps on his first Yamaha outing since 2010 but all of those were in damp conditions and his sixth-placed time was competitive with the rest of the runners who took to the track on wet tyres.
Yamaha are pondering moving the second day of their test to the Aragon circuit to find some better weather.
