MOTOGP Rookie of the Year Ben Spies has said he is "super happy" after yesterday's first ride on the factory M1 Yamaha, during post-season testing at Valencia.
Spies, who finished sixth in the 2010 Championship, has been promoted to a full factory ride in 2011, taking the seat of Valentino Rossi, who moves to Ducati for next year's series.
Posting the third-fastest time of the day, behind team-mate Lorenzo and Repsol Honda newbie Casey Stoner, Spies clocked a best of 1:32.878, covering 42 laps in the process.
"For the first day of testing I'm super happy with the team, a lot of things are new including obviously riding the prototype bike," said Spies.
"There are a lot of subtle changes from last year so I spent some time getting used to it along with working with a new Japanese engineer who is very, very good. I had a couple of new mechanics who were learning the ropes as well so it was a lot of learning today. I'm really happy, I can feel the potential of the bike and I think there's quite a bit more to come."
