Jorge Lorenzo - Photo Credit: MotoGP.com
Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies were both impressed with the performance of the new YZR-M1 on the opening day of testing in Malaysia. Between them, the pair 58 laps of the Sepang circuit, finishing first and fourth respectively.
With the number one plate having switched to Casey Stoner's Honda, Lorenzo is keen to give him a run for his money in 2012 and sees plenty of room for improvement in his new bike.
“I'm very happy with today. For the first ride on the bike in some time, it's been very positive. Yamaha has worked very hard over the winter for this M1. I can see very easily where I have to adapt my riding style for the bike and I can see a lot of potential. We have many areas where we can improve so I'm looking forward to beginning again tomorrow. I'm also very happy that my finger is fine and doesn't affect my riding at all!”
Teammate Spies was equally impressed and paid tribute to the Yamaha team for their effort in producing the new motorcycle.
“I'm happy, it was fun to get back on the bike today, I haven't ridden any type of motorcycle since Valencia. It didn't take too long to knock the rust off, we tried a few things in set up and every step we did made small improvements. We have a lot to do in the next couple of days and a lot more in the second test. It's been a confidence inspiring start, Yamaha have put in a lot of effort for this season so we'll work day by day to be even better.”
