These just in:

FIAT YAMAHA OFF TO FLYING START IN MALAYSIA

Valentino Rossi led the way for the second day running in Sepang today, concluding the first test of the year on top of the standings. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was also on the pace today, finishing the test third fastest behind Casey Stoner.

Rain this morning meant the track did not fully dry out until lunchtime and it was after one o'clock before Rossi left the garage on his 2010 YZR-M1. The World Champion, who turns 31 in ten days time, completed 32 laps and set a best time of 2'00.925, only half a second slower than the record pole time for the track, which he set last year.

Lorenzo put in a few laps in the late morning but the track was still wet in places and so he, too, waited until after lunch to really get started. The 22-year-old made a big improvement from yesterday and felt much more comfortable on the bike, finishing third fastest in a time of 2'01.680 after 60 laps.

The team will return to Sepang at the end of the month for the second of three pre-season tests.

Rossi:

"After yesterday this second day has been very good as well, even though we lost a few hours to the rain, and the end we were still able to finish all our work. We worked on the new bike to find a better setting and I was happy to be the fastest overall - even though this is just testing this is important for me! At the next test we will have a few more new things but we're already happy because we're fast and strong. There is room to improve of course; Sepang is always a good track for the Yamaha so we will have to wait until Qatar to get a better understanding of our level, but we have made a great start."   

Lorenzo:

"I felt much better today and I was able to be fast straight away. It wasn't a big problem yesterday, it's just that after such a long break I forget how to ride a little bit! I need a bit of time, but it was much better today. I'm happy about my performance and about my feeling with the new bike. Yamaha have made good improvements without changing the best parts of the bike and this is the best way. They have made some good modifications to the chassis and the engine and this has already improved our pace. We don't have many days on the bike until the start of the season so we will make the most of the time here next month to continue our good work."

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DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM SATISFIED WITH FIRST SEPANG TEST

The second and final day of MotoGP testing at Sepang was affected by mixed weather conditions, with rain in the morning making way for sun in the afternoon. However, several riders chose to take to the track from 9am, including Nicky Hayden who was the fastest on the wet track. Others, like Casey Stoner, preferred to wait until around 1pm, by which time the track had completely dried until another heavy downpour on the strike of 5pm that saw the session extended until 6pm.

Casey Stoner, second fastest overall, was satisfied with the set-up work done with the new bike over the two days in Malaysia and with his physical condition, following what was a very demanding session due to the intense heat and humidity. Hayden, eighth fastest, would have been happier if it hadn't started to rain just as he was preparing to fit new slick tyres but he was pleased to have at least improved on his best time from yesterday and to have set a consistent pace.

Casey Stoner  (Ducati Marlboro Team) 2nd fastest,  2'01.320  (44 laps)

"We are quite happy with the test. Today didn't start really well because of the rain and the wet track, which set us back a few hours, but when it finally did dry out we were able to make some progress. We have definitely improved the set-up of the bike, trying some different things with the swingarm. The lap times are still not where we want them to be and we have to work on taking another couple of tenths off on hard tyres, but to be consistently doing 2'01.9 or 2'02.0 laps is a decent pace. Considering that we are using a different engine to the one we've had for the last three years and some other new parts that we still need to get the best out of we certainly can't be unhappy with where we're at. There is work to do but we have two more test sessions before the season starts for real. In general I am really pleased with how it's gone."

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 8th fastest,  2'02.493 (64 laps)

"I am satisfied but I could be happier. These past two days have flown by and the weather hasn't helped us to make the most of the track time available. Anyway, this morning we got the chance to find a wet setting for the new forks and engine. When we went out in the dry I could feel an instant improvement on yesterday and I set a decent pace but then we didn't improve further. I would have liked to post a better lap time but just when we put some new tyres in the rain came back. However, it was a very positive test and I can't wait to get back to work at the next one in a couple of weeks' time."

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Ben Spies and Colin Edwards happy with Sepang test

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team ended its first track action of 2010 in positive mood after a rain-hit final day of MotoGP testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

Colin Edwards and Ben Spies were unable to begin any meaningful testing until the track had completely dried this afternoon after heavy morning rain badly disrupting this morning's session. Once damp patches had cleared though the Texan duo were able to make significant progress, taking full advantage of the valuable track time before further heavy rain brought an early end to proceedings at 5pm.

Texan Spies showed more of his true potential today when he clocked the fifth quickest time, despite the reigning World Superbike champion still feeling below his physical best.

Working closely with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew, Spies focused his efforts on continuing to adapt his riding style to the YZR-M1 machine. The American made significant progress with his braking style and managed to slice close to a second off his best lap time set yesterday with a time of 2.02.266 in his 31-lap stint.

Edwards, who was third quickest yesterday, finished seventh fastest with a best time of 2.02.479. That was just 0.2s slower than Spies as the 35-year-old evaluated several different chassis and swingarm setting options.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad will be back on track at Sepang for another two-day test session later this month before winter testing concludes in Qatar in March.

Ben Spies 5th 2.02.266 - 31 laps

"I rode as good and as hard as I could considering how I've been feeling. I'm not wanting to make any excuses but I didn't feel really good with the jetlag. It was still a good test because I learned a lot about improving my riding and adapting my style to suit the Yamaha MotoGP bike. It is hard to break some of my old superbike habits at the moment but I made some big improvements in a couple of places on the track where I was really struggling, particularly in the braking. It started to feel more natural today and I got down to some decent times on race tyres. I was a second faster than the first day, so we made some good progress but this is a really difficult track to learn. This track is really long and really wide, but I got to a respectable pace. I've said it a load of times but it's a learning process and every lap I'm learning. My guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 though have been brilliant again. We're all putting in a lot of effort and I'm pleased with the steps I've made."

Colin Edwards 7th 2.02.479 - 42 laps

"This has been a great test and I'm really happy. The big bonus of the test has been the performance of the engine. Putting it simply it seems they have made the engine with more power and more reliable. Accelerating off the corner was a problem last season but with the new engine it is a strong point. I tried a few things with the chassis and at this stage of the year it is all about crossing off pieces that work and those that don't. We found a couple of things that improved the bike and gave me more confidence and a couple of things we need to work on. It's been a great first test and hopefully we can carry this momentum on for the rest of the pre-season and into the serious business of the racing."

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Bridgestone back in action at first test; support role crucial for 2010

Sepang, Malaysia - Pre-season test
Thursday 4 - Friday 5 February 2010

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Hard, Extra Hard.    Rear: Medium, Har

At  the  first  test  of  the  2010  MotoGP  season,  with  new  bikes,  new  teams  and  new  riders,  Bridgestone's  tyres
performed strongly in the typical Malaysian mix of scorching track temperatures and rain to enable the top four riders
on each day to record laptimes quicker than the existing circuit lap record.

Whilst the bikes were new, the available Bridgestone tyres were exactly the same specifications as used during the
Malaysian Grand Prix last year, providing the teams with a known entity to assist them in their setup work.

In wet and dry conditions on both days riders got the opportunity to gain valuable experience on both the slick and
hard compound  wet tyres.  Many riders started  their dry running  with the softer  of the slick tyre compounds, but
favoured the harder option for its added durability as the track temperature rose to a high of 55 degrees Celsius.

The test was also another important opportunity for Bridgestone to work closely with all the new teams and riders
entering the championship this year.

The role of Bridgestone's engineers becomes even more critical this season with the reduction to just six days of
pre-season testing. With track time at a premium, the wealth of information and understanding that the engineers can
support  each  rider  with  can  play  a  significant  role  in  choosing  the  best  suited  tyre  compounds  and  finding  the
optimum setup for each bike and rider package as quickly as possible. This can be especially beneficial to MotoGP's
rookie riders who have limited experience of running on Bridgestone tyres in motorcycling's premier class.

Tohru Ubukata - Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department

"I am pleased with the way the test has gone from a tyre perspective, both in terms of outright performance and
durability. We can see that our tyres are still suitable for all the manufacturers' new bikes, and Jorge completed a race
distance at the end of the final day with consistent times throughout so this is good.

"We specifically chose to use the same tyre specifications as selected for last year's grand prix to assist the teams in
setting up their new bikes by keeping the tyres constant, therefore making their existing data more valid. What was
also important during this test, and will be for all events this season, was working very closely with all teams and
riders to help them make the most of their limited testing and track time."

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Capirossi sixth in Malaysia after constructive first test for Rizla Suzuki

05/02/2010 13:29pm

Rizla Suzuki has completed the first Malaysian test of 2010 after two days of detailed testing, following a single day's set-up work by test rider Nobuatsu Aoki, gave the team plenty of information.

Loris Capirossi had a good start to the test by recording the fourth fastest time on the timesheets on his Suzuki GSV-R during day one. His 2'02.102 from the 58 laps was also good enough to give him sixth place overall for the whole test. Capirossi spent day two running through a very detailed test programme and was unable to improve on his time during his 48 further laps, after the track had dried out from early morning rain.

New signing Álvaro Bautista equipped himself well at the 5,548m Sepang International Circuit during his first visit on an 800cc Grand Prix bike. He completed 88 laps during the two days and recorded a quickest time of 2'03.274. Bautista got into a good rhythm throughout the test and made many changes to his GSV-R to get the set-up right for his riding style, whilst improving steadily on his lap-time.

Capirossi and Bautista will now both head off to Suzuki's headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan before returning to Sepang for the second test later this month. The two will be in race action at the first event of the year at Losail in Qatar on Sunday 11th April.

Loris Capirossi:

"I was quite happy with the lap-time and the consistent rhythm on the first day, because we know there is still a lot to come from the Factory for this year's bike. We were able to test two new chassis and we are now much clearer on our direction to improve more. I go to the Suzuki Factory before the next test, so I will be able to give some more direct feedback to the engineering group. I got quite frustrated today, because I always want to go quicker and the work today was really detailed stuff - but we have to improve the bike so I have to do it! I am excited for the next test to see what our guys can come up with, including the new engine spec, and I want to keep improving."

Álvaro Bautista:

"It was a good test and I managed to learn a lot. This was my first time here on the MotoGP bike after a long time without riding, and it was amazing how much faster everything seemed to happen compared to the 250! Day one just felt like starting all over again! I made steps with my speed and it was a shame we lost some practice this morning due to the rain, but even with this the team improved the feeling of the bike a lot and now I think I can start to push more . I am now looking forward to the next test and we certainly have a good base, and I feel ready to work when we get back to Sepang later this month."

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

"This has been a good shake-down test and has answered some questions for us, but we still need to find the correct solutions in one or two areas. The engineers will take the information back to Japan and the race department guys will be working flat out to find the necessary improvements for the next two tests. At the moment, I have to really thank Loris because we rely on him to give us the direction, and this means he has a really detailed workload! It's tough for him because he knows he can go so much quicker when the base is fixed, but he also knows that we have to improve the bike a lot to avoid the same problems as 2009. We would rather leave Sepang a bit further down the order than 2009 but have a better race bike come the first GP!