MotoReview

Dunlop-shod Tech3 Yamaha rider James Ellison put in an impressive performance and was fastest for the first half of the session, going quicker than his teammate Carlos Checa for the first time.

Hopkins earlier this weekend

Most of the remainder of the session followed a similar pattern with Rossi, Kenny Roberts Jnr and Carlos Checa sliding into the run-off just as they looked to be headed towards a new fastest lap.

With only a few minutes left of the session and Rossi not opting to go out on his number two bike, his time was there to be beaten, which his teammate Colin Edwards proceeded to do, comprehensively, by going 2.2 seconds quicker.

As the session came to an end Nicky Hayden managed to alleviate some concerns about the apparent lack of pace of the Hondas over this weekend, by completing a 1'58.921 - good enough for second fastest, although still 1.8 seconds off Edwards' impressive lap time.

After being handed the keys to his new BMW, Edwards said that although he "hadn't been feeling that great" previously, the hard work was "starting to pay off" and that today marked "the first of many poles".

After this afternoon's final practice session the MotoGP teams will next be in action in Jerez, for the second and final IRTA test, to be followed by the first race of the 2006 season on March the 26th.

Additional pictures and rider reactions will be available on the site shortly.

BMW M Award Times

1) Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 1'57.102
2) Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 1'58.921
3) Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 1'59.360
4) James Ellison GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 1'59.619
5) Chris Vermulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'00.001
6) Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 2'00.218
7) Kenny Roberts USA Team Roberts 2'00.225
8) Carlos Checa SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 2'00.551
9) John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2'00.621
10) Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 2'01.249
11) Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 2'02.177
12) Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 2'02.197
13) Alex Hofmann GER Team d'Antin Pramac 2'04.003
14) Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 2'05.073
15) Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 2'05.961
16) Sete Gibernau SPA Ducati Marlboro Team 2'06.724
17) Jose Luis Cardoso SPA Team d'Antin Pramac 2'06.846
18) Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 2'07.326
19) Vittoriano Guareschi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 5'13.977

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