Fatigue Costs Casey in Qatar

Casey Stoner will step up his training after arm fatigue cost him victory in the first race of his world MotoGP title defence in Qatar.

Honda rider Stoner led for most of the season-opening race and appeared set for a fifth career victory at Doha's Losail circuit.

But Spanish duo Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa reeled the Australian in as his decision not to test over a full race distance in the winter began to prove costly.

With just over three laps left, 2010 world champion Lorenzo snatched the lead on his Yamaha and kept his advantage to win by 0.832sec from Pedrosa, with Stoner finishing almost three seconds off the pace in third.

Stoner said his pace slowed after he began to suffer from "arm pump", a crippling condition caused by struggling to cope with braking pressure and which causes spasms in the forearm.

And he aimed to ensure there was no repeat of the problem before the next round at Jerez in Spain on April 29.

"We were by far the fastest out there but after four laps I was started to get real arm pump, my arms were shaking off the bars and I was holding on with two fingers," said Stoner who had been two seconds ahead at one stage.

"I couldn't grip and I couldn't use the brakes.

"Without that there was no problem to win, we're really happy with the speed of the bike. I've got two weeks to go away and train and we can come back again."

"I felt like a backmarker at the end, but I couldn't hold onto the bike, I couldn't do anything. But if we sort it out, we will be okay."

Lorenzo had started from pole position but lost the lead after three laps to Stoner.

"I put everything I had into attack and I won," said Lorenzo.

"This victory is because I never gave up, kept pushing and trying. Casey was very strong at the beginning and opened a gap.

"Fortunately for us he struggled at the end and dropped his pace where I could keep mine so I managed to pass him. I am very grateful to Yamaha because they have made a big step this winter."

Lorenzo Outpaces Stoner in Qatar

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo halted world champion Casey Stoner's Qatar surge when he clocked the fastest time in Friday's second and final practice ahead of Sunday's floodlit season-opener

The Yamaha rider, the world champion in 2010, had been second best to the Australian Honda star in Thursday's session and Friday's first stretch, but then clocked a lightning 1min 55.302sec lap, just outside Stoner's 2008 circuit record.

Britain's Cal Crutchlow, on another Yamaha, was second quickest, 0.154sec behind with Stoner relegated to third spot, 0.372sec off Lorenzo's pace.

Friday's final practice also saw America's Ben Spies, on a factory Yamaha, fall off his machine and unable to improve on his 11th place.

In tricky, blustery conditions, Spain's Dani Pedrosa, on another Honda, had also come to grief in the first session although he was able to record the fifth best time later in the evening behind Andrea Dovizioso on a Yamaha in fifth.

The best Ducati performance was a sixth place by Hector Barbera riding for the Pramac satellite team with the Spaniard putting factory riders Nicky Hayden and seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi in the shade.

They were seventh and eighth respectively.

In the first session Friday, Stoner had been 0.214sec faster than Lorenzo and 0.688sec quicker than Dovizioso.

Stoner, who has won four times in the elite class in six visits to the Losail circuit, was unruffled by the strong winds as he clocked 1min 55.960, the only rider under the 1min 56sec mark in the opening period.

Lorenzo Closing on Casey Stoner

Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo believes he can mount a stronger MotoGP title challenge this season.

Lorenzo - who won the title in 2010 - was a distant second last season as Casey Stoner dominated on his Repsol Honda to win his second title.

But Lorenzo said: "I think we are closer to Casey than last year.

"In testing we have been fast but we must wait and see. There are five or six riders who can fight for the title this year."

Lorenzo, 24, feared he may struggle to adapt to the new, larger, 1,000cc bikes for this season after damaging his left hand in a crash at the end of last season.

But, despite voicing fears over the new bike's top speeds, the Spaniard is happy with how he has settled on the new machine.

"I spent four months not riding the bike but it has been easier than I expected to come back," he said.

"On both runs of testing I have been close to the best lap times, so I am in a good position.

"The 1,000cc has more power, more acceleration, so you need more energy to control the bike. The weight is higher. But it is easier to ride because we have more torque and it doesn't move so much."

Lorenzo is out of contract with Yamaha at the end of the 2012 season, but has again expressed his desire to stay with the team for the rest of his career and add to his 17 MotoGP wins.

"Of course," he said. "When I first came to Yamaha in 2008 I immediately felt like I was in a family.

"We had the perfect bike from 2008-2010, and last year was difficult but in general we have a very good package.

"So my first option is Yamaha, I would like to finish my career here. If my bike is good here I don't see any motive to change."

The next round of pre-season testing takes place at Jerez in Spain this weekend, with the first race of the season in Qatar on 8 April.

Lorenzo Wants Speed Safety

Former world champion Jorge Lorenzo wants the top speed of the sport's new bikes to be cut by MotoGP organisers to protect riders' safety.

The 1,000cc bikes generally prompted a warm reception following testing at Malaysia's Sepang circuit, where Marco Simoncelli died in October.

But Lorenzo, the 2010 world champion with Yamaha, admitted: "I am not happy with the top speed.

"We need to reduce it if we want to make it in the safe category."

World champion Casey Stoner easily beat Valentino Rossi's 2009 track record, set on an 800cc bike, by nearly a second on Thursday. But his time of 1min 59.607sec will not stand as a new mark because it was set out of competition.

Seven-time world champion Rossi played down any safety concerns about the bikes, which can hit 320kph (198mph) along straights. "We can slide and the bike becomes more fun," he said.

“You go into the corner and the bike is chattering. Chatter is something very difficult to fix”Dani Pedrosa

"I like the 1,000cc. This type of engine has better torque and better driveability. For me... the speed will be impressive and I don't think it will be more dangerous."

Mike Webb, race director with motorcycle racing's governing body FIM, said transmissions are smoother on the larger engines. That makes it easier to shift up or down in gear, leading to "less accidents".

Webb, who believes "there is no such thing as 100% safety", added: "We are very happy with the level of safety and the chances of something going wrong is very, very low now.

"We are at the dawn of the 1,000cc (era). The riders enjoy the bike. The spectators will surely enjoy the race a lot more and they will be safer and easier to ride."

Dani Pedrosa, who races for Honda, complained about some issues with chatter - vibrations caused by hard braking.

He said: "You go into the corner and the bike is chattering. Chatter is something very difficult to fix. Surely they (Honda) are on it."

The top engine category in MotoGP increased from 500cc to 990cc in 2002, but was reduced to 800cc in 2007 in a bid to reduce costs and cornering speeds.