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Capirossi is fastest in Valencia

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VALENCIA, Spain -- Italy's Loris Capirossi clocked the fastest time in Friday's second free practice for the season-ending Valencia MotoGP, while title rivals Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden dropped off the pace.

Ducati's Capirossi recorded the best time of the day as he sped round the tight and twisty 4-km Ricardo Tormo circuit in one minute 32.220.

Frenchman Randy de Puniet was second quickest on his Kawasaki, with Australian Chris Vermeulen third on a Suzuki.

Hayden posted the fourth fastest time while Rossi, who had been quickest in the morning session, had to settle for seventh place in the afternoon behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

Rossi snatched the lead in the title race for the first time this season by finishing second in Portugal earlier this month.

He leads the championship by eight points from Hayden, who crashed out in Portugal after his Honda team mate Pedrosa ploughed into him on a corner.

Italian Rossi will wrap up his sixth premier class crown if he finishes ahead of the American in Sunday's race. But Hayden can turn the tables if he wins and the Yamaha rider fails to finish second.

The riders will compete for grid positions in official qualifying on Saturday.

Edwards stays

Former world superbike champion Colin Edwards will remain as Valentino Rossi's team mate at Yamaha next season after the 32-year-old American signed a new one-year contract with the factory outfit.

"I couldn't be happier to be staying at Yamaha for another year," Edwards said on Friday.

"It's no secret that this season hasn't achieved the results we should have had, but in the last few races I feel that things have started to turn around and we hope to finish on a high in Valencia.

"I couldn't ask for a better team mate or team. I'm really happy at Yamaha and I can't wait to start working on the new bike."

Edwards is eighth in the world championship, his best result of the season coming with a third-place finish in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai in May.

Next season bikes in the MotoGP class will be limited to an engine size of 800cc instead of the present 990cc limit.

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