As the preseason testing for the 2012 championship finally began at Sepang today, here are a few photos of Álvaro and his new 1000cc Honda RC213V out on track for the first time.

Photo Copyright: Honda Pro Images, Gresini Racing

The 2012 MotoGP season officially got underway today with the first day of preseason testing at Sepang. There was a melancholy feel to the day following the tragic events of October and the memory of Marco Simoncelli remains in the hearts of all those present, as it will for many years to come.

Shortly before lunchtime Alvaro Bautista took to the circuit on board the Honda RC213V for a shakedown that became more and more encouraging as the laps went by. By the end of the session he had completed 45 circulations of the Malaysian track, with some impressive lap times and a positive early feel for the Honda RC213V.

Alvaro Bautista (2’ 02” 869 – 45 laps) “This was my first day on the RC213V and I am very pleased with it because I instantly felt comfortable riding a ‘thousand’. Obviously after a three-month break from racing it is not easy to get back out there because you have to reset your mind and body to the task and rediscover your pace. We have worked on adapting the bike to my riding style and I have just tried to get confident without worrying about lap times at this early stage. I am satisfied because I am working well with the team and everybody is putting in a lot of effort. Over the next two days we will work on general set-up and the electronics but I am already feeling positive because we are not too far off the fastest times and we haven’t started pushing yet.”

Source: Gresini Racing

It’s been a good first day on the 1000cc Honda for Álvaro. After a rainshow during the night proceedings started a bit later than expected and the MotoGP riders only went out on track after 11.00 local time. Álvaro made a quick start, finishing the first session before the lunch break in fourth position with a time of 2.04’110 seconds, but having only done seven laps so far.

Except for Dani Pedrosa he was the busiest rider on track, completing 45 laps throughout the day and he improved his laptime considerably in the afternoon, closing in to the fastest rider Lorenzo until under a second. But ultimately he didn’t improve enough anymore in the latter stages of the second session and finished the day in ninth position with a laptime of 2.02’869 seconds, 1,212 seconds behind quickest man Lorenzo.

The Yamahas had a very strong first day overall, taking over three of the first four positions with only Dani Pedrosa breaking their dominance with the second-fastest laptime. However, hot favourite Casey Stoner did not get out on track all day after pulling a muscle and re-injuring his back before even getting on the bike. He’s expected to join the test tomorrow after receiving extensive physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory medicine.

Final results Day 1

Pos	Rider	Team	Fastest lap	Prev. Gap	Lead. Gap	Laps
1	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha Factory Racing	2:01.657	-	-	30
2	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	2:02.003	+0.346	+0.346	48
3	Cal Crutchlow	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	2:02.221	+0.218	+0.564	32
4	Ben Spies	Yamaha Factory Racing	2:02.234	+0.013	+0.577	28
5	Valentino Rossi	Ducati Team	2:02.392	+0.158	+0.735	43
6	Andrea Dovizioso	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	2:02.751	+0.359	+1.094	20
7	Hector Barbera	Pramac Racing Team	2:02.773	+0.022	+1.116	41
8	Katsuyuki Nakasuga	Yamaha Factory	2:02.829	+0.056	+1.172	32
9	Alvaro Bautista	San Carlo Honda Gresini	2:02.869	+0.040	+1.212	45
10	Nicky Hayden	Ducati Team	2:03.151	+0.282	+1.494	33
11	Stefan Bradl	LCR Honda	2:03.668	+0.517	+2.011	44
12	Karel Abraham	Cardion AB Motoracing	2:03.781	+0.113	+2.124	45
13	Franco Bataini	Ducati Team	2:04.986	+1.205	+3.329	35
14	Casey Stoner	Repsol Honda Team	2:07.163	+2.177	+5.506	4
15	Colin Edwards	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	2:08.240	+1.077	+6.583	21
16	Jordi Torres	Avintia Racing	2:10.671	+2.431	+9.014	42
17	Ivan Silva	Avintia Racing	2:11.267	+0.596	+9.610	12

Results Table: motogp.com

Showa has chosen to make their return to the MotoGP World Championship with Team San Carlo Honda Gresini, a show of faith in the prestigious Italian team, who will line up riders in the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 classes this season. The new deal is a revival of a previous relationship between Showa and Fausto Gresini’s team, who hope to relive some of the many successes enjoyed together in the past.

Yoichi Hojo (President Showa Corporation) “It is our greatest pleasure to announce that through cooperation with TEAM SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI, we will be making our return to the world’s most prominent motorcycle race. We have competed in MotoGP together with TEAM SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI in the past, so it is heartening to be able to aim for the ultimate finish line together with our trusted friends. Showa Suspension will be used in the all of the race classes (MotoGP, the Moto2, CRT, and in the Moto3) so in addition to our expectations, we are also feeling a keen sense of responsibility. With Showa’s latest technologies being used in all the classes, we will continue to strive in the hopes of contributing to a championship win for the team.”

Fausto Gresini “To link up again with an important technical partner like Showa is a source of pride and great satisfaction for Team San Carlo Honda Gresini. We have enjoyed significant success together in the past and we hope to recreate that winning feeling again with this new deal. The technical support of a partner such as Showa is fundamental in MotoGP but especially so with additional projects such as CRT, Moto 2 and Moto3. We are sure that we can create a positive technical synergy with Showa that translates into top results on the track.”