Simoncelli tops Estoril test

The Gresini Honda rider had been fastest in Friday practice last weekend and then came close to a maiden pole, only to have an accident just four corners after the start of the race.

But he showed what might have been in today's test, setting the pace with a 1m36.211s lap to beat championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) by 0.105 seconds.

Casey Stoner was third for Honda, a further 0.2s off the pace.

Cal Crutchlow put in a spectacular performance to take fourth on the Tech 3 Yamaha, with his team-mate Colin Edwards also showing strong form in sixth. They were split by Valentino Rossi's Ducati and just ahead of Ben Spies (Yamaha), Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati).

Sunday's race winner Dani Pedrosa was only 10th. Although his shoulder had held up well enough for him to triumph in the grand prix despite recent surgery to remove a plate from his collarbone, he was feeling the effects of the weekend today and withdrew after 17 laps.

Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista, still recovering from a broken leg sustained in Qatar, also called a halt to his test early, handing the bike to development rider Nobuatsu Aoki.

Other men on the injured list were Pramac Ducati's Randy de Puniet, who suffered severe knee pain in yesterday's race in the wake of recent surgery to remove a screw from an old injury, and Aspar Ducati's Hector Barbera, who sustained a minor vertebrae fracture in a first-lap fall yesterday. Both chose not to run at all today.

Pos  Rider             Team/Bike       Time       Gap
 1.  Marco Simoncelli  Gresini Honda   1m36.211s
 2.  Jorge Lorenzo     Yamaha          1m36.316s  + 0.105s
 3.  Casey Stoner      Honda           1m36.602s  + 0.391s
 4.  Cal Crutchlow     Tech 3 Yamaha   1m36.850s  + 0.639s
 5.  Valentino Rossi   Ducati          1m37.382s  + 1.171s
 6.  Colin Edwards     Tech 3 Yamaha   1m37.410s  + 1.199s
 7.  Ben Spies         Yamaha          1m37.421s  + 1.210s
 8.  Andrea Dovizioso  Honda           1m37.460s  + 1.249s
 9.  Nicky Hayden      Ducati          1m37.463s  + 1.252s
10.  Dani Pedrosa      Honda           1m37.679s  + 1.468s
11.  Hiroshi Aoyama    Gresini Honda   1m38.032s  + 1.821s
12.  Karel Abraham     Cardion Ducati  1m38.087s  + 1.876s
13.  Toni Elias        LCR Honda       1m38.412s  + 2.201s
14.  Loris Capirossi   Pramac Ducati   1m38.633s  + 2.422s
15.  Nobuatsu Aoki     Suzuki          1m38.850s  + 2.639s