Pedrosa leads Le Mans test

Amid intermittent wind and rain, the works Honda rider completed 70 laps and finished the day a few fractions faster than Suzuki's John Hopkins and championship leader Casey Stoner.

Valentino Rossi was fifth fastest, and believed Yamaha had taken a step forward at the test after a difficult French Grand Prix.

"It was a positive day," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We started with the dry set-up we had at the start of the GP before the rain. After Sunday's warm-up we made an important modification so we wanted to verify its validity.

"The impression was positive, I was immediately quick. I've also done several consecutive laps with a good pace and I'd say this can be a new avenue for the future.

"Yamaha brought new parts regarding the frame, particularly for the rear suspension and the swing arm. The objective is to improve stability at turn entry and the first impressions seem positive. Unfortunately we lost time due to the rain, and we are left with several things to try out."

Eighth-fastest Gresini rider Marco Melandri tried an upgraded Honda chassis - as used by the factory Honda team - for the first time.

"The first impressions are positive, but it's too early to say whether and how it's better than the one I've been using this year," he told Gazzetta.

Monday's testing times:

Pos  Rider      Bike    Time    Laps
 1.  Pedrosa    Honda   1:35.0  (70)
 2.  Hopkins    Suzuki  1:35.0  (37)
 3.  Stoner     Ducati  1:35.0  (44)
 4.  Elias      Honda   1:35.2  (58)
 5.  Rossi      Yamaha  1:35.3  (66)
 6.  Capirossi  Ducato  1:35.4  (50)
 7.  Checa      Honda   1:35.4  (76)
 8.  Edwards    Yamaha  1:35.6  (59)
 9.  Melandri   Honda   1:35.7  (66)
10.  Vermeulen  Suzuki  1:35.8  (44)
11.  Hayden     Honda   1:35.9  (40)
12.  Tamada     Yamaha  1:36.6  (60)

All timing unofficial