During the morning's practice session the Ducati Xerox Team worked hard to put the new Ducati 1098 F08 on the right track and the results of afternoon qualifying were extremely promising with Bayliss and Fabrizio taking fourth and fifth position respectively. Neither had ridden the new machine at the Ricardo Tormo circuit before today, as the team did not participate in the test session held here two weeks ago. After the month long break both riders therefore expected it to take a little time to get back into the rhythm and find the right set-up for the F08 at this particular track, so the team is positive about the work and results achieved here today.
Troy Bayliss 1m35.0s"Today has gone pretty well. It's been five weeks since I was last on the bike so it was bound to take a bit of time to get back into it but everything is working well and even though we missed the recent test at this track, I am happy so far with the progress we've made during the day. There a few small things regarding the set-up that I think we're still missing and that would allow me to be more comfortable on the bike but those are issues I hope we can resolve tomorrow. My fastest time today could have been better if it wasn't for traffic on the track but overall I have to say that I'm reasonable satisfied with our performance."
Michel Fabrizio 1m35.0s"I've had a month away from the bike so it was clear it was going to take a while to get on the right track but we seem to have got there this afternoon. This morning we tried different things and various tyre combinations. The problem is that other teams already have a point of reference from which to work but we have come here with a new bike and we also missed the tests held here a couple of weeks ago, so we had to work hard today so as to get closer to the right bike set-up. I'd say that I'm very happy with how we've performed, and I'm also pleased that I'm back to full fitness too so we'll see if we can continue to improve tomorrow."
Times:
1. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1m34.8s
2. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m34.9s
3. Checa (Honda) 1m35.0s
4. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m35.0s
5. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m35.0s
6. Lanzi (Ducati) 1m35.0s
