Lorenzo encouraged by wet weather pace

The Spaniard, enjoying an impressive rookie season, has not had much time on his Yamaha on wet tracks and struggled with the handling of his bike during his maiden wet run earlier in the season.

But Lorenzo was much happier in today's rain-hit practice, although he admitted he was taking things easy in order not to risk a crash that could cause him further injuries to his ankles.

"Today I am actually very happy because we were quite fast in the rain," said Lorenzo. "When I first rode the M1 in the wet I found it very hard but bit by bit we have improved and today I felt quite confident.

"The morning was very strange and I didn't want to take too many risks; my ankles are feeling much better but I don't want to make any more mistakes! This afternoon however when it was fully wet I did a lot of laps and I was able to make one long run of 19 consecutive laps, during which I was able to find a good rhythm.

"We tried some new Michelin rain tyres and it seems they're very good, so I'm happy about this. Now though I hope it's going to be dry because it is easier like this and also it means the race will be shorter, which I prefer while I am still not physically at 100%."