Phillip island, October 16: Reigning world champion Valentino Rossi held the edge over Casey Stoner with the best time in opening free practice at the Australian Grand Prix here on Friday.
Rossi, who leads his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo by 18 points heading into the third-last MotoGP of the season, set the fastest time in the session with one minute 31.032 seconds.
The Italian six-time premier class world champion looked comfortable in completing 31 laps of the island circuit in dry conditions.
His time was 0.135sec better than Australian Ducati racer Stoner, bidding for a hat-trick of wins in his home GP this weekend.
Stoner, who returned to the championship at the last Portugal MotoGP after missing three races through illness, clocked his best time of 1:31.167 on the last of his 22 laps.
Stoner is trailing Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa of Spain by three points in the chase for third place in the championship.
Pedrosa, looking to make amends for his crash in last year’s race, posted the third best time of the first session and was 0.496sec down on Rossi’s pace.
Lorenzo, who low-sided near the end of the session and came off his Yamaha, could only manage the sixth best time, which was 1.045 behind his teammate Rossi.
San Marino’s Alex de Angelis (Honda) and American Colin Edwards (Yamaha) were fourth and fifth, both lapping within a second of Rossi.
Italian Niccolo Canepa, riding a Ducati, hit the track and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up on his right elbow, but only suffered bruising and is expected to ride in Saturday’s qualifying.
—Agencies