Dani Pedrosa was denied a perfect sweep of the two-day Jerez test by just 0.018sec, but the Repsol Honda rider left the Spanish track happy with the engine and chassis work completed on a prototype version of the 2009 RC212V.

Pedrosa won two out of the three 2008 grands prix held on home asphalt, including Jerez, and had continued that form by claiming a 0.610sec advantage over nearest rival Valentino Rossi on day one.

However Pedrosa - now riding with a #3 on his bike, in reference to his third place in the 2008 standings - could only lower his best lap time by 0.078sec on day two and lost the top spot to reigning six-time MotoGP world champion Rossi as a result.

Both Pedrosa and Rossi were using prototype versions of their 2009 machinery, while Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo - third on both days - used an evolution of the 2008 M1 on Thursday. Lorenzo was almost one-second behind Rossi and Pedrosa by the close of testing.

"After working with the engine yesterday, today we concentrated on the chassis," stated Pedrosa. "We worked to improve the behaviour of the machine during braking and in the turns. The only problem was the weather, which meant that we didn't get so much time on the bike today. We had to wait for the track to dry, so we didn't start until 2pm, and we finished at five. But we worked well and got the most out of those three hours.

"I found a good feeling with the bike this afternoon, so now we can sit down and analyse all the data we've gathered here in order to be ready for our next testing appointment at Sepang next year," he continued. "I don't have any special plans for the holiday season. During December I have some promotional events to do for some sponsors and then I will relax and enjoy some time with my family and friends."

New team-mate Andrea Dovizioso is still adapting to his new role as a factory rider, and to Bridgestone tyres. The Italian was seventh on day one and tenth on day two, out of the 14 riders, but at least lowered his lap time by 0.689sec. Dovi was also using the prototype 2009 factory RCV.

"We didn't have too much time to try too much today. Our target was to find the best riding position for my style. We made quite a few changes to the position and we understood many things. We didn't really have time to make any other big changes," he said.

"We are working to try and find a good setting for the Bridgestone tyres, but this isn't so easy because the tyre construction is very different to what we're used to. We saw last season with other riders who switched to Bridgestone that it takes a while to find the best setting.

"Anyway, I am happy because the 2009 prototype machine feels better than the 2008 bike in both engine and chassis. The engine is smoother and it is easier to feel the limit with this bike, which makes it easier to ride fast. I wasn't so fast here but it is still early days and now we have many ideas to try at Sepang.

"Dani was very fast and that proves the bike has a great potential," he concluded.

The first test of 2009 takes place at Sepang in Malaysia from February 5-7.