After yesterday’s final GP race at Valencia that concluded the 2009 season, today began the first of three days of official testing in preparation for the 2010 that saw two new teams, new rookie riders and also several Moto2 bikes on the track.

Casey Stoner was back in form after his binning his Ducati in the warm-up lap yesterday and lead the field ending the session just 0.025 secs ahead Jorge Lorenzo.

Here’s what the riders had to say after Day 1:

Casey Stoner 1st 1’32.660 :

“We tried a new engine configuration designed at improving the rideability of the bike and for the moment it is going really well. The feedback is more smooth and we improved traction with the same set-up we used over the weekend, so that is positive. We also tried some different forks and in general I am satisfied. We didn’t do many laps today - just tried to make sure we were working in the right direction. I think we are and I can’t wait to get back on track tomorrow, when hopefully it won’t be as windy.”

Jorge Lorenzo 2nd 1′32.685:

“I was really excited to try this new version of the M1 today and I had a lot of motivation to get back to work. The feeling out of the corner is much better and we have more grip already in the rear so it’s a big improvement for me. We still need to work on accelleration but I like what we have so far and I think we will continue to be competitive like this year. We have to wait and see the comparison between the old and new bike at a different track next year, but I am excited. I’m quite tired because this is already our fourth day riding here, but I am happy to have one more day of testing.”

Valentino Rossi 3rd 1′32.826:

“It was quite hard work to get back on the bike today but it’s a very important test for us. The new prototype we have already feels better than what we tried in Brno, so this is positive. I was faster than with the old bike straight away so we know we’re working in the right way and hopefully we can improve some more tomorrow. Of course we still have a 2009 specification engine and we won’t have an update until the next test in February, but the bike already feels more stable and has more rear grip. Tomorrow we have quite a lot to get through and it will be an important day before we can finally relax.”

Continue reading: Valencia Official Test Day 1 – Stoner fastest, as usual