Monster Yamaha's Andrea Dovizioso had to shake off a stomach bug on the first day of MotoGP testing at Jerez and then sit around as it rained on day two before managing any meaningful work but the Italian was only a second slower than Casey Stoner when the final session ended.

Dovizioso is looking to improve on the way the satellite YZR-M1 exits corners but says he has already found some extra grip and stability from the bike, and didn't have time to get out on a soft tyre to set an outright lap time.

“After the stomach illness I had on the first day and the rain yesterday, I really needed to get in as many laps as possible to understand the potential of the Yamaha on a completely different track to Sepang. We did some very good work in improving the stability of the bike on the exit of the corner and this is so important at a slower track like Jerez You can have a lot of sliding and wheelie on the exit but we have improved a lot in this area," he said.

"I think I could have gone faster but I only used the soft rear tyre in the final 30 minutes, so with more time I'm sure I could have been inside the top six. Now I am looking forward to going to Qatar and racing the Yamaha for the first time. I'm convinced we will be fast and competitive but the four at the top of the timesheets are really strong. They are consistently fast, so it will not be easy to stay with them. But I will be giving it my maximum to start the new season in the best possible way."