Yamaha team very close at Phillip Island

The Australian Grand Prix got underway yesterday at Phillip Island circuit with the two free practice sessions taking place under a sunny day and high temperature conditions. The Yamaha factory rider, Jorge Lorenzo, quickly found a good rhythm in the morning session, the only rider capable of staying close to championship leader Casey Stoner.

Lorenzo finished second in the morning, just 0.269 seconds behind the fastest. In the afternoon, slower times were seen due to changes in track conditions; the Mallorcan’s pace dropped a little as he sought more rear grip, finishing third, 0.576 seconds off the provisional pole.

Ben Spies made great improvements between the two sessions. The Texan struggled in the morning session, but could find neither a good rhythm nor a good setup. His team’s hard work delivered a much more competitive setup for the afternoon session, allowing him to climb from eighth to fourth place, finding more than half a second.

The other Yamaha team, the satellite Tech3, has surprised many with one of its riders placed fourth: Colin Edwards, who at 37 years old has achieved a very strong pace, very quickly.

Jorge Lorenzo (#1)

I felt great this morning but not so much in the afternoon. It was impossible to match this morning’s lap time. We were five tenths slower and I’m not entirely sure why; perhaps the track conditions were different. Either way, we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

We know Casey is very fast here but today he wasn’t as fast. We must try to win and, if that’s not possible, fight for the podium on Sunday.

Ben Spies (#11)

I feel good today. We started this morning with both bikes, neither of which was going very well, so we knew we had to do something for the afternoon. In the second session we worked very well but we’re still struggling in some areas we need to address to do better tomorrow.

I think we can definitely do it and, if we do, we’ll see ourselves improve by half a second very quickly. It’s in the hands of the guys; we know what the problem is, we just need to figure out how to fix it. As always, I’m going to try to do my best to entertain the fans and be there.