Michelin buoyant after Sepang test

The French tyre manufacturer's riders were fastest on each of the three days of the test and, although single-lap pace was most notable, it was the long runs that the company drew greatest encouragement from.

Michelin's director of motorcycle racing Jean-Philippe Weber said: "The general feeling about this test is quite good. I'm happy with the consistency of our latest tyres, which is something we wanted to work on after last year's Sepang race.

"The front and rear profiles we are using with the 2008 bikes haven't changed so much from last year's. What we have been focusing on is constructions and compounds.

"We already had some very good results with our latest tyres at Jerez last November, so we have continued working in that direction. The feedback we are getting from the riders is good.

"It was very important to have some long runs and most of our riders have done some good long runs during these tests.

"We also wanted to improve tyre warm-up and the range of operating temperature, which we already confirmed at our last tests at Jerez, though that is something we will need to further confirm in cooler conditions at Jerez next month and maybe at night during the Qatar tests."

Weber was also pleased with the progress of the 16-inch rear tyres, although he felt that more improvements were needed.

"We have also made good progress with our 16-inch rear at these tests...though we still want to improve the tyre some more. We will continue working hard at the upcoming tests and get a good understanding of the evolution of our tyres as we move towards the first race of the year."

Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards said he had noticed the progress that Michelin has made over the winter.

"Michelin brought some tyres in today that let me do my quickest laps - the new race tyre seemed phenomenal," said the American. "They have been working really hard and it's paying off. It makes it kind of exciting to go to Phillip Island now."