Stoner stars as Valencia test concludes, Rossi 15th

Casey Stoner completed a dream debut for Honda by snatching the top spot in the closing stages of the Valencia MotoGP test, the last official track action of 2010.

Second on his RC212V debut on Tuesday, the Australian - a Ducati rider for the past four years - ran third behind Factory Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben spies for much of day two, then vaulted ahead in the final hour with a 1min 32.066sec.

Stoner, whose 23 Ducati race wins is more than any other rider has achieved in the 800cc era, improved by 0.709sec on Wednesday and could scarcely have hoped for a better debut - especially having outpaced new team-mates and established Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa (injured) and Andrea Dovizioso almost from his first lap on the bike.

"There's not much I'm not happy with!" Stoner told MotoGP.com at the conclusion of the Test. "Of course there is still a long way to go for us with the bike but we've come away with a reasonable base setting.

"We still have to get the general feeling of the bike a bit better in the middle of the corner turning, but that's just a case of getting more time on the bike and a better balance for me as I have a different style to most riders.

"At this moment, with the set-up we currently have, we have been very happy with the feedback the bike's been giving us and the way everyone's been working."

New world champion Lorenzo, fastest by 0.763sec over Stoner on day one, finished day two just 0.113sec behind in second position. However the Spaniard, running the #1 plate for the first time, was fractionally quickest on combined times thanks to his 1min 32.012sec day one effort.

Spies, promoted to the factory squad in place of departing seven time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, will be pleased to have closed significantly on Lorenzo during day two. 0.866sec behind Lorenzo at the end of day one, the American was only 0.143sec adrift after day two.

Fellow rookie Marco Simoncelli was just 0.384sec from Stoner in fourth place, despite some falls, making the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider the second fastest RCV present. Pedrosa, nursing a healing collarbone and trying new parts for 2011, was a few tenths slower in fifth.

Nicky Hayden was the top Ducati rider in sixth (+0.517sec) position, as the factory continues to evaluate its 'big bang' and 'screamer' engine options for 2011, with lone Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista an impressive seventh (+0.672sec) on the GSV-R.

Not many would have predicted that Randy de Puniet would outpace Rossi by the end of their first Ducati test, but that's just what the new Pramac rider did with eighth position (+0.770sec).

Dovizioso and new Gresini rider Hiroshi Aoyama completed the Wednesday top ten.

Rossi had been tenth fastest on day one (+1.870sec), but was only 15th out of the 17 riders on day two. As well as learning the Desmosedici after seven years at Yamaha, the Italian superstar had different types of engine specifications to try, although he mainly used the 'big bang'.

The Doctor lapped just 0.121sec faster than on Tuesday and will now take a few days off being undergoing surgery for his injured shoulder.

Of the two 2011 rookies, Cal Crutchlow and Karel Abraham, it was ex-World Superbike rider Crutchlow who finished higher on both days.

The Englishman, taking part in his second MotoGP test but first with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team, was 14th and 13th, having improved by 0.831sec on the second day.

Crutchlow, the 2009 WSS champion, left Valencia 1.417sec behind Stoner and only 0.158sec behind the best time by veteran team-mate Colin Edwards.

Valencia Moto2 winner Abraham, who has the added disadvantage of riding for a team new to MotoGP, had been 17th and last on day one, but moved ahead of Moto2 champion Toni Elias by finding 1.283sec on Wednesday.

Elias, returning to MotoGP with Honda LCR, trimmed a few tenths off his Tuesday time, but was over one-second behind Abraham and 2.7sec from Stoner.

Barring any special rookie tests for Crutchlow and Abraham, the next MotoGP track action will be at Sepang in February.