By Matt Roberts BBC Sport at Misano

Lorenzo is 25 points behind team-mate Rossi in the standings

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo continued their two-way feud for MotoGP superiority at a baking hot Misano on Friday, with the Italian coming out on top by 0.126 seconds.

The pair are more than half a second clear of the rest of the field, and there is no doubt the battle is personal - even the other riders are enjoying it.

"There is definitely an inner-team struggle going on between them," said Colin Edwards, Rossi's previous team-mate, after practice.

"They look like they are both pretty focused on beating each other, which is great for the sport. Not just for the end of this year, but next year, too, it is going to be good."

Edwards seemed pretty confident that he would be staying in MotoGP with Tech 3 next year, even suggesting Ben Spies as a potential team-mate despite the fact that his fellow Texan has signed a new two-year contract with Yamaha that, in theory, should see him remain in World Superbikes for another season.

"Yamaha want to keep me," Edwards stated. "It is just a matter of me and (team boss) Hervé (Poncharal) coming to an agreement and we are pretty much there.

"As regards a team-mate I don't know yet, we'll see what the scenario is there. I would like to see 'Team Texas', that would be cool. I don't know if he (Spies) is as colourful in front of the camera as I am but I'll give him some tips!"

Spies has a new contract in his pocket, but will he stay in Superbikes?

As for Yamaha's announcement on the new Spies contract, their exact plans for the current WSB series leader could not have been much more ambiguous.

"Yamaha Motor Company., Ltd and Yamaha Motor Europe NV are delighted to announce that an agreement has been concluded with Ben Spies for his participation with Yamaha for 2010 and 2011," it read.

"The programme foresees a season in 2010 with the Yamaha World Superbike Team based in Gerno di Lesmo, Italy and a switch to Yamaha's satellite MotoGP team for 2011."

Personally I can still 'foresee' Spies in MotoGP next year, assuming he wins the WSB title.

The battle for the other remaining seats on next year's grid continued to provide an interesting sub-plot to the Rossi-Lorenzo tussle, with Alex de Angelis backing up his Indianapolis podium by lapping fourth fastest despite an early crash, and Aleix Espargaró thirteenth on only his third dry day aboard the Pramac Ducati.

James Toseland, the man whose position seems to be most under threat from Spies' impending arrival in the Tech 3 team, was an encouraging ninth fastest, two tenths off the pace of team-mate Edwards.

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