Santander Yamaha’s new signing Ben Spies made the World Superbike paddock sit up and take notice in Portimao yesterday, lapping only fractionally slower than Troy Bayliss did on Sunday.

The three-times AMA Superbike Champion, who has never ridden the track before and is using Pirelli tyres for the first time, says he likes the new Yamaha YZF-R1 and will be spending the winter in Italy to help with development.

“I got a bit of time on both the ’08 and ’09 models,” Spies said. “Both bikes were good. The new bike… well I’m under orders not to say too much about itb ut I can say that the sound from it is pretty amazing. It sounds a lot like Yamaha’s M1 MotoGP bike.

“There’s a lot to do this winter,” Spies admitted. “I’m going to Italy to look at properties to rent. I’ll also spend a lot of time at Yamaha’s racing shop to get to know everyone.

"I haven’t even looked at the testing schedule yet, but I’m sure that’s going to keep me busy as well. I’m also going to step up my training to even higher levels. That’s what it’s going to take to be able to come out here and be competitive in World Superbike.”