Riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies spent the three track days working to develop the base set up of the 1000cc YZR-M1 ahead of the second Sepang test in one month’s time.

The riders and engineers focused on the balance of the M1 chassis along with improving the electronics package to gain the optimum performance from the increased horsepower. New Bridgestone tyres were also assessed ahead of the upcoming race season.

The times from today’s final session saw Lorenzo slot in as the second fastest rider, 0.59 seconds behind Casey Stoner. Team mate Spies wrapped up in fourth position, 0.88 seconds from first.

The riders will now return to the USA and Spain respectively whilst the engineers return to Japan with the valuable data to make the next steps forward in development. The team will return in four weeks time to test the work done.

Ben Spies - Position : 4th     Time: 2'00.495     Laps: 16

“It’s been a good test, we’ve got a lot of things accomplished, we’re definitely moving in the right direction with my bike. I tried the Yamaha test rider’s bike today which had a slightly different set up to make a fair comparison with mine. I made a small mistake, losing the front but that’s testing; it can happen when you’re working out the good and bad! All in all it’s been great and I’m really happy and looking forward to coming back and seeing what’s new.”

Test Times  

  1.  Casey Stoner (AUS)  Repsol Honda Team  1'59.607
  2.  Jorge Lorenzo (SPA)  Yamaha Factory Racing  2'00.198
  3.  Dani Pedrosa (SPA)  Repsol Honda Team  2'00.256
  4.  Ben Spies (USA)  Yamaha Factory Racing  2'00.495
  5.  Valentino Rossi (ITA)  Ducati Team  2'00.824
  6.  Hector Barbera (SPA)  Pramac Racing Team  2'00.929
  7.  Cal Crutchlow (GBR)  Yamaha Tech3  2'01.108
  8.  Andrea Dovizioso (ITA)  Yamaha Tech3  2'01.257
  9.  Alvaro Bautista (SPA)  Honda Gresini  2'01.384
  10.  Nicky Hayden (USA)  Ducati Team  2'01.729
  11.  Stefan Bradl (GER)  LCR Honda  2'01.894
  12.  Karel Abraham (CZE)  Cardion AB Motoracing  2'02.218
  13.  Katsuyuki Nakasuga (JPN)  Yamaha Factory Racing  2'02.334
  14.  Franco Battaini (ITA)  Ducati Team  2'03.033
  15.  Colin Edwards (USA)  NGM Mobile Forward Racing  2'04.722
  16.  Ivan Silva (SPA)  Avintia Racing  2'08.225
  17.  Robertino Pietri (VEN)  Avintia Racing  2'09.640
  18.  Jordi Torres (SPA)  Avintia Racing  2'10.184

The data will now go back to Japan with the Yamaha engineers who will work on the next stage of development ahead of the first 2012 test in Malaysia at the end of January. Despite missing the valuable input of team mate Jorge Lorenzo, all the required testing was completed within the two days.

At the conclusion of the test Spies was third in the timesheets with a best lap time of 1’32.338 after completing 57 laps.

Ben Spies

“It’s been a long two days,” said Ben Spies. “We had a lot of work to do with Jorge not being here but we’ve got through everything. I think we got the guys working in the right direction, we’re still quite a way from Qatar and what we’ll be racing with but we’ve got a good idea of what we need to work on. There’s a lot of potential in what we have so they’ll go back to Japan now to work on it for a couple of months and we’ll see what we have as a package next year. The team and engineers have worked really hard for the last couple of days so a big thank you to them.”

Massimo Meregalli

“It’s been a really good test,” commented Team Director Massimo Meregalli. “We got a lot of data, everything we were missing in the previous tests from cancellations and injuries etc. The work that we’ve done is good, the schedule is completed and we are quite satisfied. There is of course still some work to do but I think it’s been positive. Now they’ll check the data in Japan and we’ll see the next step in January. Ben did a really good job; I’ve never seen him so focused in a test. It’s the best way to start the new season.”

The 1000cc test is the first following the end of the 800cc Grand Prix era, marked by yesterday’s Valencia Grand Prix race. Team mate Jorge Lorenzo will not participate in the test as he continues to recover from his recent injury  sustained in the Australian Grand Prix.

Spies sustained a concussion and tearing of the soft tissue around the rib area after crashing during qualifying for the Grand Prix of Australia, preventing participation in the race. Despite starting this weekend with the full intention of racing, two further crashes during today’s practice sessions have highlighted the restrictions his injuries have imposed on his riding abilities.

Following consultation between Yamaha management and the rider it has been jointly decided that it would be wise to not participate in the race to avoid the risk of further injury.  Spies will also miss Monday’s 1000cc test in Sepang.

This decision will allow Spies the optimum chance of recovery before the important final race of the season and subsequent 1000cc test at Valencia in two weeks time.

The Texan’s injuries sustained in Australia continue to hamper his abilities to ride to the limit. As a result Spies crashed in both the morning practice and afternoon qualifying session, finally taking 16th place on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Ben Spies - 16th

“It’s been a pretty eventful weekend. The bike is working really well but I’m just not feeling 100% and ready to get it over and done with. Qualifying was tough, we went out there and experienced a crash, I’m not sure why yet but we’ll check the data later. We don’t have a great position on the grid but we’ll do the best we can for points to try and hold on to fifth place for the Championship.”

Massimo Meregalli

“It is a very tough and strange weekend for us. Ben is trying very hard; he’s putting in all he can. We have to consider what is best for him tomorrow so we will have a meeting tonight and make a decision for the race. Nakasuga made good improvements today with consistency, he has definitely made a step from yesterday and we know he will do his best during the race tomorrow.”

Jorge Lorenzo will not ride at this weekend’s Grand Prix following a crash in warm up prior to the Grand Prix of Australia last week at Phillip Island. As a result Japanese test rider and All Japan Superbike competitor Katsuyuki Nakasuga will replace him for the race and subsequent 1000cc test on Monday. Lorenzo’s Championship points tally ensures he retains second place in the standings for 2011 despite not riding this weekend.

Ben Spies arrives in Malaysia recovering from his qualifying crash in Phillip Island which also ruled him out for the subsequent race. Spies has been declared fit to race this weekend with no recurring concussion issues. He will experience some discomfort after suffering ripped soft tissue around the rib area in the crash. The Texan delivered strong results on his first Malaysian Grand Prix experience last year, starting from fourth on the grid and battling to keep the position just off the podium at the flag.

“I like Sepang,” said Ben Spies. “It’s a track we visit a lot because of the off-season testing so we know it quite well. Coming into the weekend I want to be able to put in a good result, especially for Yamaha Motor Indonesia/Semakin di Depan and Petronas which are our main sponsors. Unfortunately I’m definitely still recovering from Phillip Island, but I’m going to give it 100% as we always do. It’s frustrating but it’s been a bit of a year for bad luck. We’ll do the best with what we’ve got and see what we can achieve.”

“I am sorry for Jorge’s crash and feel bad for his injury,” commented Katsuyuki Nakasuga. “I am confident he will be back in action soon. Of course it is impossible to replace the 2010 World Champion but I will do my best to get a good result for Yamaha and the fans this weekend. This does not just mean a good position but actually also good feedback to help develop the new 1000cc machine for next year. Although next year’s YZR-M1 is very different, I will try to get good ideas for next year and the future. I am a little nervous as a Yamaha Factory rider but luckily Sepang is a track I know pretty well. It’s a ‘stop & go’ style track that I like very much. I will give 110% of my efforts to help Yamaha Factory Racing and to deserve the role of replacing of Jorge Lorenzo”.

“Our targets need to be adjusted for this round,” said Team Manager Wilco Zeelenberg. “Normally it would be the podium but that’s not necessarily realistic for Sunday. We need to see how Nakasuga-san rides, we know his best lap time is 2’02.4 seconds here which is not so bad. This will be his first Grand Prix so it will be a new experience for him. There won’t be much grip to start with after the rain here so we hope he will stay steady and remember we have four practices to go. He has all the freedom to push the bike to the limit; we want him to be comfortable to race and not to treat the weekend as just a test.”

“It’s going to be a really strange weekend. We have to see how Ben’s physical condition is,” stated Team Director Massimo Meregalli. “Until he jumps on the bike we won’t know how fit he is. On Jorge’s side we have a different rider which is a big challenge both for Nakasuga-san and for the team.  Fortunately he knows the circuit and the bike which is an advantage. He has respectable lap times here from the winter test so let’s see what happens.”

After a check with the medical centre the Texan was back on his second bike with heavily bruised ribs and body, venturing out on track to score a third row start with seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Ben Spies - Position : 7th     Time: 1'30.835     Laps: 20

“I got a little bit off line in qualifying this afternoon and hit a big bump, losing the front. It’s unfortunate as we were trying a different bike set up which was looking pretty good. It happened on the third lap, according to the data I came off at 270km/hr so I went through the gravel trap pretty quick! My knees, ribs and elbows are all pretty banged up but that’s normal, that’s how it is. The bike is working well so we need a good start; we’re in a good position on the grid for it so we’ll see what happens.”

Massimo Meregalli - Team Director   

“The race is not going to be easy tomorrow. Jorge is starting from the first row which is important, I’m sure he won’t give up until the end and he will have to put all his efforts in for the whole 27 laps. Despite a bad crash Ben managed to qualify in seventh. This wasn’t so bad considering, as I didn’t expect that result. He’s very sore all over but he still pushed hard and did all he could. Tomorrow will be tough and painful for him but we know him and we know he will give 100%.”

Having then dropped to third the Texan was maintaining a gap to fourth, scoring the third fastest lap of the race on lap four with a 1’49.593. A dramatic drop off in grip on the sixth lap then affected his pace. He was passed by team mate Lorenzo and then Simoncelli, dropping to fifth place. The result sees Spies retain fifth in the Championship standings, now 24 points behind Pedrosa in fourth as they head to Motegi next week.

Ben Spies - Position : 5th     Time: +27.739    

“I knew the start wasn’t going to last long the way Casey and Dani were riding but I felt pretty good in the beginning. Even when we got to the fourth or fifth lap I thought our advantage to fourth place was growing. I felt really comfortable and thought we had a podium fight in us. Then the sixth or seventh lap the tyre just made a huge drop and just kept going down. Usually they make one drop then stay consistent. I had no confidence in the rear and no grip. I’m frustrated as before that we were riding well and the bike was working great.”

Massimo Meregalli - Team Director   

“The drop in temperature this afternoon probably compromised the work we’ve done up to this morning in set up. Ben really couldn’t do more because the rear tyre was really bad after just a few laps. Jorge achieved the best result possible, I think he did good job and thinking about the final championship standings, third place is still a good result. For sure it doesn’t make it so easy but we’ll keep going to the end.”

This will be only the second visit to the Spanish circuit, the third ‘home’ race of the year for Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Mallorcan arrives in Aragon with renewed confidence and motivation in the battle for the title after taking a perfect victory last week in Misano. The race win reduces his points gap from leader Casey Stoner to 35 points with five races remaining. The 2010 Aragon race saw Lorenzo start from second on the front row having narrowly missed pole and finish just off the podium in fourth after a battle with Nicky Hayden.

Aragon provides one of the few circuits which put Lorenzo’s team mate Ben Spies on a relatively equal footing to the GP grid, all sharing the same level of track experience there. Spies delivered an exciting performance in last year’s race, battling and ultimately bettering Andrea Dovizioso with a last lap thriller to take fifth. The Texan prepares for the final five races in fifth position in the Championship, 15 points behind Dani Pedrosa in fourth.

Aragon was first scheduled as a replacement for the Hungarian MotoGP round last year. The track is situated near the town of Alcaniz in northern Spain, a few hours drive from Barcelona. Designed by Hermann Tillke, the circuit is impressive and challenging with spectacular elevation changes and fast, flowing corners.

Ben Spies

“It’s great to come to a track on the calendar where I have the same level of experience as the rest of the field. Last year was one of my most enjoyable races, it was great fun fighting with Dovi to keep fifth and we weren’t so far from the battle for third until I made a small mistake. I’ve had a chance to relax at my home in Como after the Indianapolis and Misano back to back races so I’m feeling good and looking forward to seeing what we can do.”

Massimo Meregalli

“We left Misano last week in a great mood after a fantastic result. We still have five races to go and 35 points to make up so we are going to Aragon ready to fight. Ben is recovering well from his trapped nerve issue and is getting closer to full fitness again.  Apart from one corner the Aragon circuit layout should be good for us and suit the YZR-M1, so our expectations are quite high for this weekend.”

Having started form fourth the Texan initially dropped to seventh before slowly reeling in and passing local hero Valentino Rossi. Having despatched the Italian the hunt began for fifth and sixth place riders Simoncelli and Dovizioso. Spies was able to close the gap to less than 0.2 of a second but the battling Italians made it impossible to make a clean pass, finishing in sixth position.

Ben Spies - Position : 6th     Time: +18.092    

“We started out with an ok set up but we didn’t really go forward all weekend, struggling a lot with edge grip. I wasn’t having a great feeling with the front either so we tried something new in warm up this morning which was honestly a disaster. We changed the front end of the bike dramatically before the race which proved to be good but took a few laps to get confidence in as it was such a big change. Once I got around Rossi I got more comfortable and was able to get to the back of Dovi and Simoncelli but was still struggling with edge grip and couldn’t get close enough to strike. I tried as hard as I could but just didn’t translate into top five this time.  I need to say thanks to the team for all their hard work trying to solve the issues this weekend.”

Massimo Meregalli - Team Director   

“Unfortunately we couldn’t find a really good set up for Ben here at Misano. He got good points finishing sixth which are important for the Championship. We’ll go away now and look at the data to make sure we come back fighting in Aragon in two weeks time. I have to thank the whole team who have worked extremely hard in really hot conditions here to do the best they can for both riders.”