Lorenzo notes improvements after opening practice

Article from http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2010/good+day+for+lorenzo+at+motegi

Jorge Lorenzo ended the opening practice session of the Grand Prix of Japan as the third fastest rider on Friday, and was extremely pleased with how his Fiat Yamaha M1 machine was functioning.
The 23 year-old closed the hour-long practice three-tenths of a second off team-mate Valentino Rossi’s pace as the Italian topped the timesheet, but without the engine upgrade that his team-mate was using Lorenzo was extremely satisfied with his performance.
"We are much better here than in Aragón, which is a relief,” said Lorenzo, who tried two different settings on his bike, both of which proved successful. “I don't have the new engine yet like Valentino, I hope we can use it soon, but anyway here we lose much less in the straight compared to at the last race and we have better acceleration.”
“We can improve the traction a bit in some parts of the track but in general this was a good day and we are not so far off Valentino. I hope the rain stays away so we can continue to improve tomorrow.”
Lorenzo comes into Round 14 with a 56-point advantage at the top of the Championship standings and in what is almost certain to prove a decisive moment in the 2010 title race, his only challenger for the crown Dani Pedrosa suffered a crash inside the opening five minutes which resulted in a fractured collarbone.
Lorenzo offered his commiserations to Pedrosa but refused to be drawn into considering the potential consequences of the injury for the title. “I don't want to think for now how Dani's situation will affect me, but I am sorry for him, it's very bad luck to be injured at this stage of the season,” he concluded.