Vinales the Phillip Island master

Spaniard Maverick Vinales completed the three-day MotoGP test at Phillip Island from February 17-19 with the fastest lap time, reinforcing his emergence as yet another rider who could cause the big four — Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa — more than a few headaches in 2016.

Riding the Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR with the seamless gearbox for the first time — fast-tracking his initiation, as he wasn't planning to debut it until the Qatar test in a few weeks — Vinales' best lap was 1:29.131, just ahead of Repsol Honda's Marquez (1:29.158). LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow's late charge saw him leapfrog to third overall with a 1:29.348.

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The Phillip Island lap record is held by Marquez with a 1:28.108, while reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) holds the best ever lap of the 4.448km circuit with a 1:27.899. Both were set in 2013.

Vinales set his best lap on day two and, while he also managed to stitch together another flyer in the final session — 1:29.299 — he also crashed at high-speed, with a very second-hand GSX-RR returned to the pits.

“First of all I must say I’m okay after the crash this morning: I went out with a new tyre but probably the temperature was still too cold and I lost the front, but I didn’t suffer any injuries," said Vinales. "We focused on testing different configurations of the new chassis and this took us some time; maybe if I continued with the previous one I could have done a better time but it is important for us to us to work with a long-term vision and exploit the tests for what they are.

"The development of the machine for the season is still a long way off and we still have much potential that we need to investigate. For sure I’m happy in how this test went overall, we made solid progress both in the single lap performance and for the consistency, even though the variable weather didn’t allow us to really test a race simulation.

"For Qatar it will be important to further investigate the electronics; it is still a field where we miss experience as it’s completely new, but we have already done much work for this and collected a good amount of data, which will be useful for us. Of course ending a test at the top is a good feeling that makes you comfortable for the future, but we must keep our feet on the ground and stay focused on the development plan we have set.”

Lorenzo was another to go down on day three — a rarity for the Mallorcan superstar — on the first lap of a planned race simulation, which brought out the red flag for the second time in the eight-hour session — the first after 2014 Moto2 world champion and MotoGP rookie Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda) crashed at turn one.

Rabat was sent to the medical centre for observation after complaining of a sore wrist, but was passed fit to continue — but Marc VDS then had more repairs to perform after Rabat's Aussie teammate Jack Miller crashed at turn six.

However, the Townsville gun had managed to wash off most of his speed before the slow-speed tumble, and he completed the test with a best lap of 1:30.023 — a respectable result after he missed the previous engagement at Sepang as he continued his recovery from a broken right tibia and fibula.

Having initially set out to do just 25 laps a day to test the state of his leg, Miller completed over 100 laps at Phillip Island.

“It’s been a good test and we’ve managed to get a lot of things out of the way here, so we’re not faced with a massive job in Qatar in two weeks," said Miller. "I think just to feel how it was on the bike here was well worth it and it’s going to be even better in Qatar with an extra two weeks to heal and more physiotherapy, so it’s all good.

"It’s a shame about the weather, but we still managed to get a heap of laps in and I was stoked to be back on the bike. The lap this afternoon felt comfortable and I didn’t feel like I was taking any risks. The fall this morning was my error; I had a bit of a moment and pushed the pads back in the calipers, but it was only a small one. I’m really happy with the first test of 2016 and I’m looking forward to Qatar.”problem.

"I’m really happy with the direction that Michelin has taken with the tyres as they’re working really well here at Phillip Island."

The biggest time delay on day three was again caused by the weather, with the heavens opening at 12:30pm. Aleix Espargaro (Suzuki Ecstar) was the first to return to the track at 3:15pm.

Marquez was pleased with the progress he made at Phillip Island. He said: "Overall, these three days have been very good. I’m especially happy with the last day, because we took a big step forward. In the afternoon I managed to maintain a consistently fast pace, and this was the first time this pre-season that I've started to feel good with the bike and the new tyres. It’s a pity that at the end of the session when we wanted to try something else, it was too late. I was pushing hard at the same time, I lost the front and crashed.

"The important thing is that I was unhurt and the work we’ve done has been positive. Yesterday we focused on adjusting the electronics and finding a good base, and today I think we did a good job looking for balance in the setup of the bike."

Third-placed Crutchlow said: "I've felt really happy to be riding the LCR Honda this week, the bike was good and we were pleasantly surprised with the package together with the Michelin tyres and the new electronics. We didn't have the new engine here unfortunately but it means we have something to look forward to in Qatar.

"We definitely worked very well as a team this week, which is one of the main things when you come away for three days. The important thing is that we leave here with a lot of information, both electronically and chassis-wise, so we'll take it all to Qatar and look forward to that test."

Lorenzo (1:29.357) was fourth overall on combined times, after leading from the front at Sepang two weeks ago. The top 10 was completed by Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing Ducati, 1:29.361), who continued his dazzling pre-season, followed by Rossi (1:29.404), Loris Baz (Avintia Racing Ducati, 1:29.583), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda, 1:29.606), Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:29.718) and Iannone (1:29.857).

Iannone's teammate Andréa Dovizioso (1:29.860) was first outside the top 10, with the Italian more than making up for remaining in the pits on the wet day one by cranking out the most laps of any rider on the following two days.

Rossi was the final rider out on track on the final day, 65 minutes in, and began by trying out a harder version of the Michelin front tyre. However, it was "probably too hard" for the conditions according to Michelin's Motorsport Technical Director Nicolas Goubert, who also told motogp.com.au of his confidence that the soft version of the French company's new profile front tyre would last the distance in a 27-lap MotoGP race.

In total, 14 of the 20 riders broke the 1:30 barrier over the three days, with Miller the first outside that benchmark. Nineteen of the 21 riders on the 2016 MotoGP roster were in attendance, with Aprilia pair Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl absent. Suzuki Ecstar also had along its Japanese test rider Takuya Tsuda.

Seven of the 20 riders set their fastest laps on day two, with the balance on day three. Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) was fastest on the heavily rain-interrupted day one, Vinales on day two and Marquez on day three.

Attention will now turn to the final pre-season test in Qatar from March 2-4, where Aprilia will return to the fold with its 2016 machine, and then the season opener will be held at the same desert circuit in Losail on March 20 — which could see Casey Stoner on the grid.

Stoner is next scheduled to ride the Ducati at a private outing in Qatar in early March before the entire paddock arrives for the major test, and Ducati is on record as saying that it will not deny the Australian the opportunity to race in Qatar if her wants to — although it could prove to be a sensitive time if the two-time world champion defeats Iannone and/or Dovizioso…

Stoner was on location at Phillip Island, at the circuit where he was peerless between 2007 and 2012, winning six straight races.