Troy Bayliss defies howling winds to score the best lap time at Valencia

© GMB Racing. World Champ Troy Bayliss continued on his strong form from day one to set a remarkable 1'34"102 lap in the very last session in Valencia, beating the official track best handsomely, using qualifying tyres. Second fastest overall was rapid local Ruben Xaus who took his 2006 factory machine to a 1'34"565. A dominant test for the Ducati riders in general put Lorenzo Lanzi third, on the second 2007 factory machine.

"I'm really happy," said Ruben Xaus."We prepared our return to Europe at our best, and above all my home-race. I hope that this result will make the supporters excited, and I hope there will be a large number of them on this track on the half of April, where I will try to be at the start with two good results in my pocket, gotten at the previous round in Donington. Here everything was fine, on track like this, by this motorbike, I can face everyone".

© Ducati Corse. Max Biaggi was the fastest rider of a four-cylinder machine on show at these tests, also setting his best lap in the final session, despite the changeable but generally strong winds. Aussie Troy Corser was the top Yamaha rider, and the 2005 champion worked through a massive amount of material and alternate machine setting on his way to fifth fastest time. He was followed in the final analysis of the times by his team-mate Noriyuki Haga, although the Japanese star was not entirely satisfied with the way his test sessions went, falling twice in the morning session today.

Spaniard Fonsi Nieto and his team-mate Regis Laconi found the winds on the second day a particular handicap to their forward progress and thus Nieto was only 7th at his home track and Laconi an eventual tenth. Privateer riders Karl Muggeridge and Max Neukirchner went into the top ten, finishing eighth and ninth respectively.

Despite strong winds which affected most of the action on the final day of testing at Valencia, Supersport riders Kevin Curtain and Massimo Roccoli managed to edge out Fabien Foret from the top of the timesheets. Curtain set the best lap with a 1'37"126. Katsuaki Fujiwara was the top Honda runner over a single lap, while a good day for the Yamaha entrants was completed by Broc Parkes and David Salom, fifth and sixth respectively. Parkes completed 118 laps, more than any other rider. Twenty-five riders in total set test times at Valencia, with Vesa Kalliothe fastest Suzuki rider on show, in ninth.