Valentino Rossi crashed in SIC practice
Five-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is back after his crash in November 2007. After breaking his right wrist during the Valencia Grand Prix, he is back for the first MotoGP pre-season testing of 2008 in Sepang International Circuit.
Riding the new 2008 YR-M1 MotoGP machine and sporting a new crew cut look, Rossi crashed on his 20th lap. At the entry of the sharp Turn 2, his front wheel gave in and the Italian rider jumping off his bike to escape injury. He then walked back to the bike; picking up the machine.
As he rode slowly to the pits, Rossi, winner in Sepang in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006, was seen holding his left hand with the new machine badly dented on the right side.
New team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also had a crash during the morning session as the Fiat Yamaha concluded a disappointing morning session with Rossi clocking the eighth fastest time of 2 minutes 3.295 seconds. Lorenzo was fifth fastest with 2 minutes 2.871 seconds.
Twenty riders participated in the tests which saw Dani Pedrosa of Repsol Honda topping the morning charts, recording a time of 2 minutes 1.864 seconds. Despite the achievement of clocking the fastest time, Pedrosa also had mixed fortunes, crashing at Turn 1 at noon.
The Sepang tests, which would run from Tuesday until Thursday, is the first test session for the riders and teams for the year 2008. After Sepang, the teams and riders would proceed to Phillip Island in Melbourne, Australia before returning to Sepang early month from February 4 to 6 for a second round of test around the 5.543-km Malaysian track to prepare for the 2008 season.
