Marlboro Ducati's Valentino Rossi has said the new Desmosedici GP12 MotoGP is a success as he can brake and take the corner entry lines he wants and says the new, Deltabox-style frame allows the bike to make rapid changes of direction where the GP11.1 didn't.

The Doctor was fifth fastest on the first day but, crucially, only seven tenths slower than quickest man Jorge Lorenzo. World champion Casey Stoner didn't ride due to a back strain so the big comparison will be made tomorrow.

“I’m happy because first impressions are important, and already in the first few laps, I could tell that I like the bike. Ducati did a good job in a just a short time. The bike is beautiful, but more importantly, it’s nice to ride. The riding position has improved a lot, and it’s better on braking and corner entry," said Rossi.

"I can brake like I want to and take the lines that I like, and I feel comfortable in general. I was able to ride well and not make mistakes, and there’s a reason for that. It means that the bike can be ridden. It’s more agile in change of direction, and it wheelies much less. We’re 7 tenths back today, and of course there’s still a lot of work to do before we can win. We have to improve in some areas: acceleration, electronics, power delivery and setup.

"I’d say we’ll be able to make a more accurate assessment at the end of the test, because let’s remember, the bike is just 40 days old. To leave here a second back from the top would be okay because anyway, we know that there’s still much more to be done. But one of the best things from today is that the bike reacts well to changes. That enabled us to drop one or two tenths every outing, which means further progress should be possible.”

Click here for the Sepang photo gallery