Jorge Lorenzo has admitted that he struggled to come to terms with the new Yamaha as pre-season testing began in earnest at Sepang on Thursday. The Spaniard's best attempt of 2:02.165 landed him in fifth position, three quarters of a second off the leading time of team-mate Valentino Rossi.
With Rossi on top and three other teams filling positions two to four, Lorenzo's efforts confirmed that both Yamahas finished in the top five although he admits that adapting was not the easiest of tasks following the off-season.
"After such a long break I found it quite hard to find my rhythm on the bike today," the Barcelona man explained. "Motocross bikes are not the same as the new M1! It was quite a difficult start to the day but, little by little, I started to feel more comfortable and to improve my pace."This afternoon, when it was a bit warmer, I began to improve my times even more and get closer to the first rider, so in the end I was quite happy with our work. Today was my first day of riding with my new Team Manager, Wilco Zeelenberg, and I feel good with him; he's an ex rider and so we were able to share a lot of information and he was able to give me some good advice."
With Rossi on top and three other teams filling positions two to four, Lorenzo's efforts confirmed that both Yamahas finished in the top five although he admits that adapting was not the easiest of tasks following the off-season.
"After such a long break I found it quite hard to find my rhythm on the bike today," the Barcelona man explained. "Motocross bikes are not the same as the new M1! It was quite a difficult start to the day but, little by little, I started to feel more comfortable and to improve my pace."This afternoon, when it was a bit warmer, I began to improve my times even more and get closer to the first rider, so in the end I was quite happy with our work. Today was my first day of riding with my new Team Manager, Wilco Zeelenberg, and I feel good with him; he's an ex rider and so we were able to share a lot of information and he was able to give me some good advice."
