Factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo expects next year's MotoGP bikes to reach the best part of 220mph at tracks with monstrous straights such as Mugello and Barcelona and also reckons the 2012 season is going to be more fun for all concerned.

An upbeat Lorenzo rode the 1000cc version of his bike at Brno yesterday and was leading rider on a 1'56.253 until he was upstaged by title rival and 2007 champion Casey Stoner, who went quickest on his litre-engined RC212V.

"The 1000 is a bike that I feel is much more fun, especially on exit when you can slide and it is always wheelying on the straight. Next year will be a much more interesting championship for riders and spectactors. The rider will be a lot more important with the 1000 and corner speed will be slower, maybe two Ks, you will need to brake more as you arrive much more faster. It is now now it is half a second, faster later on much more," said Lorenzo, speaking to bikesportnews.com.

"It will be a big top speed, that is for sure. At tracks like Qatar, Mugello and Montmelo we will arrive 350kph (217.5mph), which is a lot and in the corners, the riders will have much more fun and so will the spectators on the TV and crowd with sliding and you can change more the lines."

Lorenzo spent the morning lapping on the 800cc YZR-M1, as did Spies in the afternoon, with a new engine spec. It was almost damning with faint praise when he said it was a little better but no great leap forward, like that was what he was expecting:

"It is a little better in top speed but it is always good to have something extra and this is the engine we will use in the next races. It is better to have it than not have it and there are not so many races to the end so we have to see what happens - racing is always a lottery."