Monster Yamaha's Colin Edwards likened the Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit to riding a dirt track after the first MotoGP free practice session this morning but managed to set third fastest time and continued in the top six when the surface started to rubber up after lunch.

Edwards eventually finished in sixth place and only two-tenths behind reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo in fourth after knocking the best part of two seconds off his laptime from the earlier session. He said he isn't having to fight his satellite YZR-M1 which is 'awesome'.

“This morning it felt like I was back at the Texas Tornado Boot Camp but just riding a more expensive bike because it was pretty slippery out there. To be honest I actually really enjoyed it even though the grip was a bit sketchy. We all knew that grip was going to be a little bit of an issue this morning but it was 100 per cent dirt track," said the Texan.

"As soon as you got your knee on the ground the front would go and the rear would come round, but I still had a lot of fun with the bike moving around so much. This afternoon with a lot more rubber down it was a lot better and hats off to the folks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They've done an amazing job because the bumps that have been really bad have mostly gone and with a bit more rubber down the surface is going to offer a lot more grip.

"We won't feel the benefit of the new tarmac this year but the changes are for the future and next year it is going to be a million times better. Being third this morning and sixth this afternoon has given me a lot of confidence for the rest of the weekend. I'm not fighting the bike this weekend and it feels awesome.”