GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM TEST
Sepang, Malaysia
Saturday, February 12, 2005

Ambient temperature: 32 degrees
Track temperature: 52 degrees
Humidity: 62%

EDWARDS CONTINUES PROGRESS BUT ROSSI FORCED TO SIT-OUT SECOND DAY IN SEPANG

Gauloises Yamaha rider Colin Edwards continued to make headway with the
development of his YZR-M1 machine today throughout a very humid second day of a
three-day test at the Sepang circuit, just outside Kuala Lumpar. However his
team-mate Valentino Rossi, who turns twenty-six next week, was unwell and unable
to ride.  Rossi felt progressively worse throughout the first day of testing but
the Italian had hoped to be recovered enough to ride today. Unfortunately this
was not the case and he was forced to spend the day resting in the hotel in the
hope that he will be well enough to resume his testing program tomorrow. Rossi
was not the only rider to be suffering today; Fortuna Yamaha rider Ruben Xaus
was watching from the pit wall, sidelined by minor injuries picked up at the
last test, and Loris Capirossi (Ducati) was also sick and headed back to his
hotel after just ten laps left him feeling too ill to continue.

Testing alongside MotoGP teams from Honda, Ducati, Suzuki and Kawasaki, as well
as the Fortuna Yamaha Team, Edwards completed 50 laps of the 5.548 km circuit on
his 2005-spec machine. Once again the main task of the day was Michelin tyre
testing, although some time was also spent working on engine mapping. The Texan
rider eventually finished the day a little early after a best lap of 2'02.378,
which put him eighth in the unofficial standings. Honda rider Max Biaggi
recovered from two crashes yesterday to post the fastest time of the day in
2'01.501, while the next three positions were filled by his fellow Honda riders
Sete Gibernau (2'01.686), Nicky Hayden (2'01.717) and Alex Barros (2'01.786).

Colin Edwards (2'02.378, 50 laps)

"It was tyres again today!  We did little bits here and there with the engine,
but tyres were the main focus. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get a bit more time to
try some other things and we're also going to do a long run, which will be tough
in these conditions! I'm ready to leave Malaysia now; this is our third test in
a row here and I'm ready for a change of scenery! We've got one more day here
and of course I'll keep pushing as hard as I can throughout it. I feel really
good about everything but I'm looking forward to getting out of here and moving
on to Phillip Island next week."

Daniele Romagnoli, Colin Edwards' Crew Chief

"Today was hard work for everyone because it was so hot. We did some more tyre
testing and found some positive things to help us move forward. We also worked a
little on the engine mapping. Our performance is at the same level as at the
last test and now we are looking for better handling and agility in order to
move forward again, so we will keep focusing on this tomorrow for the final day."

Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director

"Yesterday Valentino felt weak at the end of the afternoon and this morning he
felt worse. We called a doctor to visit him and he found that Valentino has a
throat virus. We decided together that it was better to keep resting and lose
only one day, instead of pushing and trying to continue with uncertain results.
We will see how he feels tomorrow and decide whether we will be able to test or
not."

Unofficial Lap Times:

 1. Max Biaggi (Honda)      2'01.501
 2. Sete Gibernau (Honda)   2'01.686
 3. Nicky Hayden (Honda)    2'01.717
 4. Alex Barros (Honda)     2'01.786

 8. COLIN EDWARDS (YAMAHA)  2'02.378