Hayden fastest in official MotoGP test

Honda's former world champion Nicky Hayden set the pace on the final day of MotoGP's official pre-season test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain on Monday.

The American, who lost his crown to Ducati's Australian Casey Stoner last season, clocked the fastest time of the test with a lap of one minute 38.848 seconds at the end of the afternoon.

The test was the first time this year that the top teams and riders had come together at the same circuit, only weeks before the season starts in Qatar on March 9.

The final pre-season test in Doha in 10 days' time will be held under floodlights to help riders prepare for MotoGP's first night race.

Yamaha's 20-year-old Spanish rookie Jorge Lorenzo, the 250cc world champion who will be the youngest rider on the MotoGP grid this year, was second quickest at the end of a breezy session in Jerez with a time 0.404 slower.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso was third on a JiR Honda with compatriot and former champion Valentino Rossi fifth on a Yamaha. Stoner was seventh.

"We've finished the three days second after a very fast lap this afternoon with the Michelin qualifying tyre, so I'm really happy about this," said Lorenzo in a statement.

"With the race tyre, however, we're not in such good shape and we have quite a lot of work to do. We need to be faster but to do this I need to have more grip and more confidence.

"We need to speak a lot with Michelin in order to try to solve this."

British MotoGP newcomer James Toseland was sixth fastest for Tech3 Yamaha despite crashing on his second lap of the day.

Toseland missed two hours of the session having x-rays before returning on crutches with damaged right ankle ligaments and getting back on the bike again.