Colin Edwards on his Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP motorcycle was the quickest of all riders who were present for the first day of testing of this week's official test at Phillip Island in Australia.

The American was focusing primarily on developing qualifying tyre for Michelin. Edwards ended the day with an advantage of six tenths of a second over MotoGP reigning champion Casey Stoner.

The Ducati Marlboro rider also focused on tyre testing for the day, while teammate Marco Melandri experimented with different set-ups changes to try to feel more comfortable on the GP8 bike.
The Rizla Suzuki team failed to shine during the test, with veteran Loris Capirossi setting the ninth fastest time after what he described as a tough day. Teammate Chris Vermeulen was 10th.

Both Fiat Yamaha riders, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, choose not to be present at this week's test.

Rookies Alex de Angelis, Andrea Dovizioso and James Toseland all performed well and ended up in the top five.

Times of the first day of testing:

Pos Rider Team Time Laps
1. Edwards Yamaha Tech3 1:29.566 77
2. Stoner Ducati Marlboro 1:30.178 73
3. De Angelis Honda Gresini 1:30.688 70
4. Dovizioso JiR Team Scot 1:30.701 79
5. Toseland Yamaha Tech3 1:30.864 81
6. Melandri Ducati Marlboro 1:30.869 99
7. Nakano Honda Gresini 1:31.111 91
8. Hayden Repsol Honda 1:31.226 107
9. Capirossi Rizla Suzuki 1:31.274 82
10. Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki 1:31.317 99
11. De Puniet Honda LCR 1:31.436 103
12. Hopkins Kawasaki Racing 1:31.623 88
13. West Kawasaki Racing 1:31.786 72
14. Guintoli Alice Team 1:32.484 68
15. Elias Alice Team 1:32.573 90