Jorge Lorenzo started off the test at Sepang International Circuit in P17 by the end of Day 1 – but shot well into the top ten on Day 2 as he got into the groove of life on the Desmosedici, only a fraction off new teammate Andrea Dovizioso.

After the bike topped Day 1 with test rider Casey Stoner - and ‘DesmoDovi’ came home second - the red machine had two further good days on the timesheets, with both Lorenzo and the Borgo Panigale factory happy with the progress.

Day 3 saw the ‘Spartan’ put in 66 laps and end the session with a best of 1:59.767 in P9 – another seven tenths quicker than his previous best as the 2010, 2012 and 2015 MotoGP World Champion learns how to dance in red.

Lorenzo was impressed with the progress registered on day 3 at Sepang despite finishing only 9th in the timesheets

"I’m happy because we’ve continued our progression and I’m getting to know and understand the bike more and more every time I ride it." He said

"We went seven tenths faster and each time we’re getting closer to my potential, but there’s still a long way to go to reach that."

"The team is very motivated and working really well. We got a lot of information to continue making the Desmosedici even better. We’ll keep working – and keep moving forward.”