By Peter McLaren

The 2007 MotoGP runner-up was fastest for almost the entire day, thanks to a 2mins 1.864secs lap set during the morning, but that was of little consolation after the Repsol Honda rider suffered an RCV-destroying accident during the final hour.

Speaking soon after the incident, a team spokesperson told Crash.net that Pedrosa's fall occurred when he lost the front of his machine between turns 10 and 11. The fuel tank was then ruptured as his bike rolled to a halt in a gravel trap, causing significant fire (and extinguisher) damage.

Pedrosa was immediately taken to hospital and the spokesperson later stated that the double 2007 race winner had "a small fracture in the second metacarpal". Dani will now fly back to Spain to see a specialist in Barcelona.

"I wasn't pushing so hard at the time of the crash," recalled Dani. "I lost the front going into Turn 11. It was quite a big crash – the bike caught fire and I hurt my right hand."

The estimated recovery time is still unknown, but Pedrosa is sure to miss next week's Phillip Island test and is highly unlikely to be fit for the final Sepang test from February 5-7.

"It's really tough to start the season out like that," commented team-mate Nicky Hayden, when told about Pedrosa's injury. "It's also going to be a problem in terms of developing the engine and tyres, even though our bikes and settings are quite different. It's bad for the team."

Pedrosa had previously escaped injury during a smaller morning fall.

While Pedrosa was in hospital, satellite Honda rider Randy de Puniet bumped the Spaniard from the top by 0.487secs. Rizla Suzuki team-mates Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi finished day one third and fourth, with reigning world champion Casey Stoner fifth on his return from injury.

The second Sepang winter test continues on Wednesday and concludes on Thursday.