Yamaha WorldSBK star Garrett Gerloff has praised theYZR-M1 on which he made his MotoGP debut this morning, saying the bike is very friendly but 'superfast'.

The Texan, who stood in for Valentino Rossi while he underwent a Covid19 test, ended his day 19th on the combined timesheet but only 1.6s off the pace - none too shabby considering he had never seen the bike, the track or the tyres before.

"The M1 is quite a bit different from the superbike. The M1 is basically the R1, but at another level. But it's still a very friendly bike to ride," said Gerloff.

"It wasn't too much of an animal, but it was definitely superfast. The tyres were amazing, especially this morning in the wet, and even later when the track was a little bit more half-and-half, I still felt pretty confident going over the wet areas with the slicks.

"All in all, it was just an amazing experience. It was unreal coming back after the second session and seeing Valentino right there and saying 'Hey, awesome job, man!' I mean, that is something that dreams are made of, you know?

"So, I'm super happy to have been able to do it and just a big thanks to Yamaha for giving me the opportunity."