Rossi 'very happy' with first 800 race simulation.

Colin Edwards may have been the fastest Factory Yamaha rider on day two of the Sepang test, and just a fraction behind John Hopkins, but it was team-mate Valentino Rossi who was most pleased after their first ever 800cc race simulation.

Edwards improved by 1.407secs on day two to sit just 0.124secs behind Rizla Suzuki rider Hopkins, while Rossi found 0.565secs but still slipped from third to fifth on the overall timesheets.

However, with rain threatening for Wednesday's third and final day, both Rossi and Edwards elected to take advantage of the clear Tuesday skies to complete their vital race simulations - the first for either rider on the new bike.

Edwards, whose morning best was also set on race tyres, admitted he struggled during the afternoon endurance run - but Rossi, using a different set-up, was 'very pleased'.

"Today I made my first long-run with the new bike, because I was worried about the weather for tomorrow," confirmed Ross. "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. I am very happy about how it went; the performance of the bike and tyres was very good. We still need to improve the braking a bit, but I am sure it will get better as we continue to work on the set-up.

"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!" he smiled. "Of course with the 990cc bike the top speed was a bit faster, but overall with the new bike the pace on a long-run isn't so different, because it puts less stress on the tyres so their performance remains higher for longer. The physical effort is similar for both bikes, and I feel very motivated after the long-run today."

Rossi also revealed that he tested a new 16" Michelin front tyre, instead of the usual 16.5", and declared that the new design could be the way forward for the 800cc. "We tested the 16" front tyre today; we still need to work more on this, but the initial feeling is very good and the handling is a bit better with it," said the Italian. "The bike is more stable in the corner and therefore I have more confidence. I think in the end it could be a good solution, but we need more time to be sure. Tomorrow we have other tyres to test and we will just continue to work on the general set-up of the bike."

For Edwards, it was a day of two distinct parts:

"I'm not sure if it's to do with the fact that I'm getting old, or just that I've been off the bike for six weeks, but this week it seems that I'm much stronger in the morning than in the afternoon!" said the former double World Superbike champion. "The morning felt really good today, Michelin had me working in one direction and Valentino in another and I was quite excited about how everything was feeling and about the times I was able to do. I did my best time on a race tyre and it was coming pretty easily. Michelin have worked seriously hard over the winter and the new front tyres they're bringing us are just getting better and better, so congratulations to them.

"This afternoon was much harder 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! It's given us some clear answers and now we can use tomorrow to double check what we've learned this week and finish on a good note," he added.

"Valentino's [long run] was very positive and we gathered a lot of important information from it," confirmed team director Davide Brivio. "Colin had more difficulty and showed some of the problem areas we need to work on, but he also gained positives from today and his best time this morning was very fast. Of course we've got a lot of work to do, but that is the reason for testing!"