Conditions at the Losail circuit in Qatar were better today and Troy continued his superb form by going into the 1:58s - the only rider to do so on day two of these tests.

Despite a crash, which left him with a bruised arm and back, he continued to post good lap times throughout the day.

Troy Corser - 1st, 1:58.6
Yeah, I had a bit of a get-off today and banged my arm and back a bit, so I guess I maybe a bit sore tonight. It happened when I just lost the front and down I went. The corner was a fast one, but the crash was real slow-speed stuff and for a while I thought I'd better hold on to the bike with one hand. But when I hit the gravel trap and saw the size of the stones, I decided to let go of the bike and take my chances.

The gravel trap looks like gravel from a distance, but when you get up close (too close in my case!) it's not gravel, they're rocks! The crash was on the sort of new bike and I think I just got caught out. There's not a whole heap of difference between the 2007 and 2008 bikes, but the chassis feels a bit different (stiffer, I suppose) and it's something I have to understand and then get on with.

We tried some new tyres today and they worked better than what we've run here before and certainly the grip was better - especially in the morning.

The tyres seem to work best in the morning and then towards the end of the day, but it's almost impossible to go fast at the end of the day because the sun  is so low, that it's in your eyes and you can't see where you are going properly. It's like looking at a glazed surface and you have to trust your instincts and just pitch the bike in!
We've still got stuff to try tomorrow, so we'll keep plugging away and get as much done as possible. We're all pretty happy with how these two days have gone but, if I'm feeling in a good mood and the conditions are right, I think I can do a 1:57!

Qatar - Thursday times
1 TROY CORSER (Yamaha Motor Italia) 1:58.6, 2 Haga 1:59.2, 3 Bayliss and Checa 1:59.5, 5 Nieto 1:59.6, 6 Fabrizio 2:00.1, 7 Sofuoglu 2:00.3, 8 Kagaama 2:00.9