By N.D. Prashant/Doha Australia’s Casey Stoner, who completed a hat-trick of titles at the Qatar Grand Prix last season, validated his authority over the floodlit Losail circuit by clocking the fastest lap of 1’55.353 on the final day of the last pre-season testing here on Friday night.The Ducati Marlboro rider, who had a fall on his Desmosedici GP10 after setting the benchmark, was less than a tenth of a second off his 2009 pole position time at the circuit.“I’m really happy with the test and the work we have done right up to tonight. In the first Sepang test we had a few things to work out but we have made constant progress. “The latest big step forward with the GP10 came last night and today I was able to set a consistently fast pace,” said Stoner adding that he and his team had focused a lot on the tyres.“I have been able to work with the tyres without putting too much stress on them and I was able to keep my pace on used rubber. “I like the new engine a lot, it is more manageable and I am pleased to see the other Ducati riders, especially Nicky confirming that with fast times,” revealed the Australian.Italian Valentino Rossi, who was fastest in the opening session in Qatar, was less than five-hundredths of a second behind Stoner. Rossi had topped the timesheet in the previous Tests at Sepang. However, despite a second overall finish in Doha, the Fiat Yamaha M1 rider was not at all upset as his focus on the second day was on the electronics.  “This has been another good day. We’ve concentrated mostly on the race preparation and it feels like we’re now ready for the first race. We did a long run at the end of the session and we got some good information, which will help us in the race. Now that testing is over I am very excited about the season,” said Rossi, who has won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 at Losail.“We’ve been strong throughout the six days of practice and it feels good to have been fast here also, where we have struggled in the past. We have only tested at two tracks so we need to wait for another different one to fully understand the new bike, but we’re in good shape. My M1 feels great and I’m looking…

Source: Gulf Times