From a press release issued by Yamaha:

YAMAHA FACTORY TEAM TESTS
Jerez, Spain
Wednesday December 11 2002

DISMAL WEATHER BLIGHTS YAMAHA FACTORY TEAM TESTS IN JEREZ

The Yamaha Factory Team will leave Jerez in Spain today after a disappointing three days of testing. Heavy and continuous downpours have flooded much of the area surrounding Jerez as well as the Jerez circuit, making productive testing time impossible for riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri.

The rain was continuous on Monday and most of today and intermittent showers on Tuesday meant that the track never dried fully. The only positive to come from the three days was that Melandri was able to test the Yamaha YZR-M1 in the wet for the first time and Checa evaluated Yamaha’s fuel injection system in wet conditions. Both riders were also able to give feedback to tyre partner Michelin.

“It has been pretty miserable here,” admitted Team Manager Geoff Crust. “It’s a real shame to end the year with a wash-out! We just hope that we have better luck with the weather for all our tests at the beginning of next year. We’ve obviously had time to get to know our new rider, which is nice”.

The Yamaha Factory Team will test again in Jerez from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 January in 2003.