Repsol Honda factory MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo said that it was ‘probably my best day since coming back from Assen’ despite finishing the opening day of free practice in Motegi down in seventeenth position.

The Spaniard has been recovering from a broken back which ruled him out from Assen to Silverstone and has slowly been finding his way back to one hundred percent. After two pointless finishes in the last two races, Lorenzo said that he was looking to zig whilst all other Honda riders zagged in a bid to find a set up that worked best for him.

“I’ve tried to do something different to the other Honda riders. I gained in certain areas and lost in others when I use their settings,” said the 32-year-old.

“Today I’ve improved slightly, the position is not great, as I wasn’t able to exploit the fresh tyre, while I’m about a second off the pace.

“So, it’s probably my best day since coming back after Assen. I hope I’ve found a way to improve, it would be a miracle.”

When asked if there was one area in particular in which he would like to work on and improve more than any others, Lorenzo said: “The main goal now is to limit the vibrations in braking, as they don’t help me ride.

“We have some ideas. Overall, we’re still a long way off, but we’re still trying to improve across all areas, to find something that brings us really close to the fastest guys.

“We can’t change anything completely, so we can only try and try again with what we have, to find the best combination.”