Valencia MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa fastest as damp weather persists
Dani Pedrosa set the pace in another rain-affected MotoGP practice at Valencia
As was the case in Friday's second session, conditions were once again too wet for slicks and too dry for wets, leading to a dearth of early running.
Exacerbated by a new surface that does not lend itself to swift drying, the conditions meant that by the halfway mark just 11 riders had set a time, with Phillip Island race-winner Casey Stoner, Ducati's Valentino Rossi and Tech 3's Cal Crutchlow not going out at all.
That collective reluctance did at least dissipate over the final minutes, when the track finally dried out enough for slicks.
While there was still little the teams could learn on the slippery surface, rendering laptimes largely meaningless, there was at least cause enough for all the usual frontrunners to head out.
It was Honda rider Pedrosa who ended on top, the Spaniard eventually working his way down to a 1m33.033s.
That was six tenths faster than Tech 3 duo Andrea Dovizioso and Crutchlow, with the Italian stealing ahead of the Briton as the chequered flag fell.
LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl came home fourth, the last rider to get within one second of Pedrosa.
Nicky Hayden on the second Ducati was fifth fastest ahead of newly-crowned champion Jorge Lorenzo, Gresini's Alvaro Bautista and Aspar CRT rider Randy de Puniet.
Casey Stoner was ninth fastest, with Rossi two spots further back in 11th.
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time Gap 1. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m33.033s 2. Andrea Dovizioso Tech 3 Yamaha 1m33.641s + 0.608s 3. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m33.672s + 0.639s 4. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 1m33.751s + 0.718s 5. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m34.263s + 1.230s 6. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m34.296s + 1.263s 7. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda 1m34.764s + 1.731s 8. Randy de Puniet Aspar Aprilia 1m34.915s + 1.882s 9. Casey Stoner Honda 1m34.991s + 1.958s 10. Michele Pirro Gresini FTR-Honda 1m35.371s + 2.338s 11. Valentino Rossi Ducati 1m35.824s + 2.791s 12. Karel Abraham Cardion Ducati 1m35.919s + 2.886s 13. Roberto Rolfo Speed Master Aprilia 1m36.149s + 3.116s 14. Hector Barbera Pramac Ducati 1m36.192s + 3.159s 15. Katsuyuki Nakasuga Yamaha 1m36.267s + 3.234s 16. Aleix Espargaro Aspar Aprilia 1m36.517s + 3.484s 17. Danilo Petrucci Ioda Suter-BMW 1m36.538s + 3.505s 18. Ivan Silva Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 1m36.753s + 3.720s 19. Hiroshi Aoyama Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 1m37.701s + 4.668s 20. Colin Edwards Forward Suter-BMW 1m37.969s + 4.936s 21. Claudio Corti Avintia Inmotec-Kawasaki 1m38.663s + 5.630s 22. James Ellison Paul Bird Aprilia 1m46.122s + 13.089s
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