| donny practice
12:15 30Jun2006 RTRS-Motorcycling-Rossi picks up the pace in British GP practice
LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Injured MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi lapped faster than overall leader Nicky Hayden in Friday's opening British Grand Prix free practice session.
Spain's Dani Pedrosa, second overall after eight races, lapped quickest with a time of 1:29.412 to lead a trio of young Honda riders.
Australian rookie Casey Stoner was next on the timesheets with a lap of 1:29.437 ahead of Italian Marco Melandri.
The 27-year-old Rossi broke bones in his right hand and left ankle after being thrown off his Yamaha in practice for last weekend's Dutch TT at Assen and still has pain in his fingers.
However, the Italian Yamaha rider completed 27 laps in the morning session at Donington Park to set the ninth fastest time of one minute 29.980 seconds.
Honda's Hayden, who took his first victory of the season at Assen, was 10th fastest.
Kentucky-born Hayden leads the standings with 144 points to Pedrosa's 102. Ducati's Italian Loris Capirossi is third on 100 with Rossi fourth on 98 -- the same number as Melandri.
Rossi's team mate Colin Edwards, the Texan who fell at the final chicane at Assen just after he had grabbed back the lead from Hayden, was fourth fastest in the session.
Donington is one of Rossi's favourite circuits and the Italian showman has won there for the past two seasons.
"I have a lot of things to do to absorb the pain and help the bone to heal," the Italian had said of his injury earlier in the week. "For sure I will not be 100 percent.
"But if I am only 50 percent fit I believe I can still win at Donington. It's like my second home."
Sunday's race is the ninth of the 17-race championship and marks the start of the second half of the season.  | 
30-Jun-2006, 12:15 
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