MotoGP: Lorenzo ends positive first days at Ducati

Jorge Lorenzo has ended his first two days as a Ducati rider with positive results, coming away from the Valencia end-of-season test eighth fastest overall but only a fraction off his fastest time from the weekend’s free practice sessions on the Movistar Yamaha.

The Spaniard was one of the hardest workers of the test, the first man on track both days and completing 126 laps of the Valencian circuit over two days. And while he was some way off the blistering pace he set on Saturday to take a new lap record, he ended up only 0.4 slower than his best time from combined free practice.

Still banned from speaking openly about the new Desmosedici until his Yamaha contracts ends on the 31^st December, he’s nonetheless believed to be delighted with both the bike and team – something evident from his demeanour throughout the test as he laughed and joked with the crew, many of whom he’s worked with before.

However, banned from testing the bike despite being released as a goodwill gesture by Yamaha to ride today and yesterday at next week’s unofficial Jerez test, ironically organised by Ducati, his next opportunity to ride the bike won’t come until the first test of 2017, at Sepang in late January.