Factory Yamaha's Ben Spies has set the fastest time in today's opening MotoGP free practice session at Indianapolis, swapping laptimes with Casey Stoner while compariot Colin Edwards, on the Monster Yamaha, bagged third place and only three-tenths off the pace.
Spies was leading on a 1'43.583 with only six minutes to go with Edwards right behind him but Gresini Honda's Marco Simoncelli had other ideas, going top on a 1'43.582, just 0.001s quicker, before Repsol Honda's Stoner bagged top spot on a 1'43.552 with Edwards riding behind him and lapping at 1'43.574.
Stoner's lap looked to be good enough but Spies' final outing saw him return to the top of the timesheet on a 1'43.260. Simoncelli had to settle for fourth with his time while Nicky Hayden's last lap of 1'44.236 dropped team-mate Valentino Rossi into sixth place.
The second Repsol bike of Andrea Dovizioso is in seventh with Hector Barbera eighth. Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo in down in ninth place and some 1.8s slower than the fastest time but Dani Pedrosa is another place behind his countryman.
Cal Crutchlow put in a late charge into tenth but was battered back to 12th by Pedrosa and a lap by Rizla Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista.
