Ireland’s Eugene Laverty has declared himself ‘pleased overall’ with his Suzuki MotoGP debut after setting the fastest ever two-wheeled lap of the Japanese Okayama track before heading down to a cold and damp Phillip Island.

The World Superbike star did 27 laps of the Australian track yesterday in tricky conditions which saw him crash at Doohan’s on Monday when he was caught out by a damp patch.

“Okayama was a fantastic experience and I was surprised how fast I went so quickly. We set the fastest-ever two-wheeled lap of the track even though I found the front Bridgestones a little soft and we also had to find a new brake setup as the carbon brakes weren’t as strong as my WSBK system,” said Laverty, speaking to bikesportnews.com.

“The crash was unfortunate as I hit a damp patch and went down. It was difficult as it’s winter down here and conditions were definitely tricky. Overall, though, I am pleased with how it went for my first time.”