Former MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo has made a big step forward on the second day of MotoGP testing at Sepang, saying the throttle response with a new motor has vastly improved and laptimes in the wet have borne that out.

The Spaniard was second fastest, albeit by eight one-thousandths of a second, to team-mate Ben Spies but both knocked more than a second off their laptimes from yesterday on a track that has been washed clear of rubber by torrential downpours.

“Today we improved a little the connection with the throttle and the engine, it’s much smoother and easier to ride, a big step forward from yesterday. We were able to try the 1000cc M1 on the wet for the first time and we went very fast so it’s been a positive day and we are very motivated to improve the bike more. We managed to complete everything we wanted to test so it’s been good," he said.