Britain’s Sam Lowes believes he made significant progress with his new Aprilia at the Sepang MotoGP test and is learning something every time he exits pitlane.

The former World Supersport Champion ended his three days in Malaysia two seconds off the pace of fastest man Maverick Vinales but the rookie was only a second off veteran team-mate Aleix Espargaro.

“Over the three days we reduced the gap behind the leaders significantly and that is important. We are working in the right direction. Everything is new for me, so I learn something new every lap! Among other things, I also did a race simulation, discovering how mentally and physically demanding it is to ride a MotoGP bike here at Sepang, but I am pleased with how it went,” said Lowes.

“These tests were fundamental for me. We did not focus on our final position because that is certainly not our goal. We still have six days of testing before the race in Qatar and I think that if we maintain these levels of growth and concentration we will be ready.”