Happy with new bike

Valentino Rossi declared himself happy with the progress made by Yamaha on their new 800cc bike, despite searing heat on day two of the Moto GP test at Sepang in Malaysia.

With temperatures peaking at a scorching 39 degrees Celsius, the 20 riders present could have been forgiven for staying in the relative cool of their air-conditioned garages. But with heavy rain predicted for the Wednesday, there was little option but to maximise running while the track remained dry.

Five-time world champion Rossi was no different, and completed more than two race distances on his new bike. Rossi said: "Today I made my first long-run with the new bike, because I was worried about the weather for tomorrow. It was important to be able to see the level of the bike over a long distance, so we didn't want to risk waiting for the last day. The temperature at noon was very high and the sun felt like a sword beating down on my helmet, but it was still great fun and I really enjoyed myself!"

The 27-year-old Italian added that the team still had some work to do on both the bike's braking system and on it's reaction to Michelin's new 16 inch front tyre. His American team-mate Colin Edwards went second fastest - only headed by John Hopkins' Suzuki - but found that a radical new set-up he tried during the afternoon did not bear fruit.

Edwards said: "This afternoon was much harder [than the morning] and it was pretty hot out there too. The package I used for the long-run wasn't so good, it definitely wasn't the right direction for the rear tyre and it was hard work for me. Anyway Valentino's package worked well and that's why we're here after all – to work out what does work and what doesn't!"