Moto2 - Angelis and Iannone tops Moto2 test at Valencia

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Alex de Angelis and Andrea Iannone got the 2011 Moto2 World Championship underway by sharing the top spot at the end of the opening day of group testing in Valencia.

A week on from the opening pre-season MotoGP test at Sepang, though several Moto2 riders have been privately testing in recent weeks, this was the first official group outing of the year.

Even so, with no official timing available at the test, just 16 riders had lap times credited for day.

de Angelis and Iannone – both race winners during the inaugural Moto2 season in 2010 – shared the 'unofficial' fastest time of 1min 36.7secs, the former riding with JiR Motobi this year, while the latter switches from Speed Up to Suter.

Behind de Angelis and Iannone, Julian Simon – who finished runner-up to MotoGP-bound Toni Elias last year – was next on the Aspar Suter, while another 2010 race winner Stefan Bradl, riding the Kalex this year, matched him on a 1min 37.0secs time.

After posting some impressive times at the Circuit de Catalunya this week during a private test, graduating 125GP champion Marc Marquez was a fine fifth on the list aboard the Catalunya Caixa Repsol Suter, ahead of fellow category debutant Michele Pirro.

Another team changing chassis providers this winter is Interwetten, which moves from Moriwaki to Suter, with rider Thomas Luthi – fourth in 2010 – ending the day 'seventh' best.

Further back, MotoGP exiles and former team-mates Aleix Espargaro and Mika Kallio began their Moto2 story with respective lap times of 1min 37.4secs and 1min 37.5secs, the pair split by Kallio's Marc VDS team-mate Scott Redding.

In all, 16 riders were credited with lap times, including 125GP graduate Bradley Smith, who managed a best time of 1min 38.0secs.

Unofficial lap times supplied by teams (not all riders taking part in test included)
Alex de Angelis JiR Motobi 1m 36.7secs
Andrea Iannone Speed Master Suter 1m 36.7secs
Julian Simon Mapfre Aspar Suter 1m 37.0secs
Stefan Bradl Viessmann Kiefer Kalex 1m 37.0secs
Marc Marquez Catalunya Caixa Repsol Suter 1m 37.1secs
Michele Pirro Gresini Moriwaki 1m 37.1secs
Thomas Luthi Interwetten Suter 1m 37.2secs
Aleix Espargaro Pons Kalex Pons 1m 37.4secs
Scott Redding Marc VDS Suter 1m 37.64secs
Mika Kallio Marc VDS Suter 1m 37.5secs
Yuki Takahashi Gresini Moriwaki 1m 37.6secs
Jules Cluzel Forward Suter 1m 37.8secs
Randy Krummenacher Switzerland Kiefer Kalex 1m 37.9secs
Rafaelle de Rosa G22 Moriwaki 1m 38.0secs
Bradley Smith Tech 3 1m 38.0secs

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/KysF_d--fi5/Moto2+Angelis+Iannone+tops+Moto2+test+Valencia

Angelo Bergamonti Werner Bergold Jacques Bernard Adrian Bernetic Manfred Bernsee Bruno Bertacchini Silvano Bertarelli