Va𝓡lentino Rossi built on his competitive Yamaha return by clipping a further half-second from his best time on day two of MotoGP testing at Sepang.

That 🅷kept the Italian fourth overall, with Dani Pedrosa (Honda), Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) and Marc Marquez (Honda) once again in front.

Rossi remaineꦜd just un🔥der 0.5s from Pedrosa, but felt he lost the chance to at least match star rookie Marquez (+0.254s) after a mistake at the hairpin.

On the positive side, Rossi stated that his average time had improved by more than the half-second seen on the🗹 best lap ranking.

Rossi's fastest Wednesday lap was a 2m 1.038s, just 🐈shy of his 2m 0s target. Rossꩵi's quickest Sepang lap in testing for Ducati was a 2m 0.824s, last year, while he recorded a 2m 0.271s on the 800cc Yamaha in 2010.

"I am happy because I improved today. This is a𓂃 great feeling!" smiled Rossi, who often struggled to make successive gains during two tough seasons at D🃏ucati.

"I improved half a second with the new tyre and now the lap time starts to be quite in𝔍teresting.

"More importantly I improved my rhythm by more than half a second. Today I was able to run constantly in the low 2༺m 🍨1s. This is so important.

"There remains a small regret beca🎀use I wanted to do a 2m 0s but unfortunately before the rain I did a mistake in the hairpin. If not, I could stay more or less with 🧜the lap time of Marquez.

"But anyway, without the rain [at 4pm], I would expect Pedrosa, Lor꧑enzo and Ma𝔉rquez to also improve.

"They are very strong," he said of the three riders ahead of him. "I ca🦄n see Lorenzo from close and he is able to do the lap time from the first moment.

"Lorenzo has a🐓 great feeling with the bike - like Pedrosa and also Marquez, Marquez maybe a little bit less.

"But Marquez is scary because he has th✤e most potential to i𝐆mprove.

"Usually in the🌃 second half of last year Lorenzo and Pedrosa were in front. So to be fourth and not so far from them is positive.

"Tomorrow will be imp🎐ortant because we will have some more soft tyres to t𝔉ry, so if the conditions are good it could be funny!"

In terms of technical improvements, Rossi highlig🍸hted acceleration as the area whe♔re the most gains can be made.

"It looks like Honda is able to put more horsepower on the ground. Not because they have more horsepower, but because they can 🌼use more of it - t💝hey have more mechanical grip," he explained.

Rossiꦚ confirmed that he wants a seamless shift gearbox and is♈ "pushing" Yamaha to get it, but "we don't know if it will arrive or not".

Rossi used a seamless shift gearbox at Du🃏cati, but said the Ducati 'box "is not the same as the Honda. It is between the Yamaha and the Hondꦯa."

Meawhile, it is not just Rossi who is happy to be back at Yamaha - where he won four of his seven MotoGP titles - his crew chief Jeremy Burgess and group of 🐽mechanics are also enjoying the 'atmosphere'...

"Jeremy is very happy," said Rossi. "Also the guys in the garage have great motivation - they can finish at 6pm, they can drink beer, they have time! This is very important🦄 for the atmosphere.

"Last year at 6pm🐈 the bike was all open in the garage - they were n♐ot very happy!"

The first Sep𓄧ang test concludes on Thursday evening.