Fabrizio top in Monza practice
Added on Friday, May 8th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Fabrizio top in Monza practice
Michel Fabrizio came out on top in what proved to be a closely fought free practice in Monza on Friday.
The Italian made full use of home advantage to top the time sheets by 0.306 seconds over Yamaha’s Ben Spies in a session where the top eleven riders were separated by less than a second.
Tom Sykes was the fastest Brit of the day, coming in just behind his Yamaha teammate whilst reigning BSB champion Shane Byrne also made it into the top ten, beating compatriot Jonathan Rea by one thousandth of a second.
Leon Haslam was behind in 12th position, while new Stiggy Honda team-mate Jake Zemke, standing in for the injured John Hopkins, began his WSB career in 23rd, just over two seconds behind Haslam following a technical problem.
Free Practice One: Result
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | Michel Fabrizio | ITA | Xerox Ducati | 1:46.177 |
| 2 | Ben Spies | USA | Yamaha WSB | +0.306 |
| 3 | Tom Sykes | GBR | Yamaha WSB | +0.341 |
| 4 | Max Neukirchner | GER | Alstare Suzuki | +0.403 |
| 5 | Yukio Kagayama | JAP | Alstare Suzuki | +0.439 |
| 6 | Noriyuki Haga | JAP | Xerox Ducati | +0.488 |
| 7 | Ryuichi Kiyonari | JAP | Ten Kate Honda | +0.498 |
| 8 | Carlos Checa | ESP | Ten Kate Honda | +0.843 |
| 9 | Regis Laconi | FRA | DFX Corse Ducati | +0.951 |
| 10 | Shane Byrne | GBR | Sterilgarda Ducati | +0.987 |
| 11 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Ten Kate Honda | +0.988 |
| 12 | Leon Haslam | GBR | Stiggy Motorsport Honda | +1.151 |
| 18 | Tommy Hill | GBR | Ten Kate Honda | +2.183 |
