The opening day of the three-day MotoGP test at Sepang saw three Honda RC212V riders take to the 5.542 km track as they step up preparations for 2008 a season rich with promise of spectacular two-wheel motorcycle racing of the highest level.

The 2006 MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden to run with both the first version of the 2008 prototype Repsol Honda RC212V factory machine and the bike he raced in the 2007 series but the weather saw the American rider spend all his time aboard the 2007 model. MotoGP debutants Randy De Puniet (LCR Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Scot Honda) both rode RC212Vs in 2007 specifications.

Hayden’s team-mate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa elected not to attend the Sepang test as he completed all the testing he needed on the new bike during the first test at Valencia last week. He feels he would learn nothing new and better to wait until the latest version of the machine is ready to test at Jerez on November 27 - 29.

When the day opened the track surface still had some damp patches and Hayden was one of three riders to crash at the first corner within a few laps of the start, John Hopkins (Suzuki) and James Toseland (Yamaha) joining Hayden as victims of the conditions.

Frenchman Randy De Puniet has adapted well to the RC212V Honda and was the fastest Honda man on track today, despite crashing the LCR machine mid afternoon, just before the rain started to fall.

The LCR Honda team tested with their 2007 RC212V and new rider Randy De Puniet, allowing the Frenchman to continue the process adapting his riding style to the characteristics of the Honda. De Puniet put in 45 laps around the Malaysian circuit while testing to find a base line set up, engine maps and a selection of Michelin tyres. The Frenchman recorded a best lap time of 2m 03.033s, the fastest rider of the day despite a crash.

The second Honda MotoGP debutante testing at Sepang is Italian Andrea Dovizioso riding for the JiR Scot Honda team, an amalgamation of the Japan Italia Racing team and Kopron Scot Honda squad. Dovizioso, 125cc world champion in 2005 and consequently twice runner-up in the 250cc world championship, spent his day testing to find an ideal base set up to work from at Sepang then worked on the engine Braking system of his RCV.

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 04.164s - 56 laps. “Everything didn’t get off to a good start today crashing on the fifth lap of a three-day test isn’t so smart. I was just about to get off the brakes when I went down it was very bright and I didn’t notice the damp patches, I was going pretty slow and I’m OK.  It’s the oldest excuse there is to say ‘There must have been something on the track’ but three guys gong down in the same place? That kinda put us on the back foot but the boys fixed the bike an we got in some decent laps but with the track being damp in the morning and the rain coming after lunch we didn’t get a whole lot done. We planned to take the new bike out after lunch but the rain prevented that. The new bike is the same as at Valencia but we planned to run some different power curves on the engine.”

Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda: 2m 03.033s - 45 laps. “Not so bad today. We started with the old set up for 20 laps then I came in to make changes to the front and rear suspension to suit my riding style. We found a good balance inside 40 laps then we worked a little on the engine mapping. I had a small crash just before the rain started, the front end turned in on me at the fast right hand corner at the back of the grandstand. I am satisfied with the first day pity about the rain because we need to get as many laps as possible to help me understand the bike better but I think we are working in a good direction, taking things step by step.”

Andrea Dovizioso, JiR Scot Honda: 2m 03.607s - 22 laps  “I am very much more at home on this circuit than at Valencia and I am very happy with the bike - it’s big, fast and a lot of fun to ride. My lap times are very good and that surprised me because I do not yet have a really good feel for the bike in the way I want – there are so many things for me to understand about the bike before I can go fast. I am not yet confident with the engine Braking because the back end slides a lot and I cannot use the front brake as I need to – if I had less engine Braking I could focus more on the front brake. We have two-more days and I’m confident we will improve.”