Ducati's Valentino Rossi, continued until the rain arrived, finishing the session with the fifth-best time and happy with the teams overall progress.
"We on the team are all happy with how this test has gone, especially today. With a 2:00.8, we're starting to get to a decent time," Rossi said.
"The two Hondas and the two Yamahas are still ahead of us, but we consider this test to be a starting point. The most positive things we've achieved are that the front now lets me ride a little more as I'm able, that the bike reacts well to changes and that we have very clear ideas on what's still missing. In particular, if we manage to improve the bike's behaviour on acceleration, we'll be able to take a consistent step forward.
"I know that the work has never stopped at Ducati, and now with the information we've gathered, they'll keep working on the areas that we've identified. That might take a while, but there's still some time before the first race. We have to keep improving, so we're not getting too excited, but I'm pleased with how things have gone so far," the Italian concluded.
Rossi's team-mate Nicky Hayden had already finished riding around noon after having tried riding with heavy taping on his painful left shoulder. Still lacking the necessary strength to push hard, he and the team agreed it was best to finish early.
"Obviously, I'd like to have done more. I can't really say it was a real test for me, but I did a few laps each morning in order to at least get a feel for the new bike, get a little data and understand a couple of things. Even in that limited time, I was able to make small improvements and go quicker each day. Ducati did an amazing job with this bike in a short amount of time. It's smoother than any other Ducati I've ever ridden, it looks slick and it's good to work on. It's got good power, and the front end is working well, but with the extra power, now we've got to find better rear traction at the first touch of the throttle. With the few adjustments we've made, everything seems to be going in a good way, so now I just need to get healthy."
Hector Barbera and Cal Crutchlow impressed with the 6th and 7th fastest times,
"I am really pleased with the way things have gone at this test and it has been a really good confidence boost to start 2012. Sepang is a track I just don't get on with or enjoy riding at but I was third on the first day and fifth on the second day," Crutchlow said.
"The pleasing aspect is my times have been consistent and that bodes well for the future. I'm not as fast as Stoner, Spies, Pedrosa or Lorenzo but for consistency I'm the best of the rest. The new 1000cc YZR-M1 has kept the strong points of the 800 with good corner entry and turning," he concluded.
Andrea Dovizioso demonstrated his determination to quickly get to grips with the YZR-M1, with the Italian rider giving his absolute maximum effort just three weeks after he broke his right collarbone in a motocross training accident to finish 8th fastest.
"I am really happy just to have been able to come to this test and ride because beforehand a lot of people said it would be impossible. The collarbone was very badly broken but this test is very important and I want to thank everybody that helped me in my recuperation in Italy that made it possib le for me to ride," the Italian said.
"There is a big difference in the characteristic of the Yamaha and the Honda I rode for the last four years, so I have to learn to use the good points of the M1 more. But it was not so easy riding in my physical condition. Braking for the right-hand corners was hard but changing direction was an issue because I don't have 100% strength. I am looking forward to the next test now where I will be a lot closer to being 100% fit."
