Ducati duo back on track in Jerez

Ducati Marlboro duo Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri both followed up their Spanish race disappointment with a positive post-race test day in Jerez, giving the pairing a confidence boost ahead of a return to another Ducati `bogey track´ for round three of the MotoGP World Championship.

For 2007 World Champion Stoner, a significant improvement proved irksome, as he reflected on what might have been had some slight tweaks been made before Sunday´s race.

`It's a bit of a shame, because with just a few small changes to the set-up we had yesterday the situation has improved a lot and we could have had a much better race if we'd gone with this in the first place,´ noted the Australian, who worked predominantly on settings and tyres and found a better feeling with the Bridgestone front rubber that had previously caused him problems in Jerez.

`The test on qualifying tyres didn't go quite as well, because on the best one I ran wide in one corner and without that I would have knocked a few tenths off my best time,´ added Stoner, whose two run-offs in the race itself left him outside the top ten for the first time since his arrival at Ducati. `It has been the best day we've had at Jerez and it's left me with a good feeling going to Estoril!´

Stoner´s team-mate Melandri, despondent on Sunday afternoon following a second difficult race with the Desmosedici GP8, drew both comfort and discomfort from the Monday outing. Some new findings onboard the Italian machine left the Ducati newcomer slightly more upbeat, although a test-curtailing crash that damaged his finger nail meant that it wasn´t all smiles for the former 250cc World Champion.

`The day started well and we were working with some success on finding more rear grip when I lost the front and crashed on the way into the final bend. It happened suddenly and my hand got trapped underneath the handlebar,´ said Melandri, reviewing the incident.

`I was lucky not to break any bones in my fingers, but it's still really painful because the nail on my middle finger has ripped in half. I don't think it will be a problem for Estoril though. Unfortunately we had to call time on a day that was proving to be important and positive. We had a few things still to try, including the tyre that Casey liked. The changes we've had chance to test have been good and I'm sure we're on the right track to improve my feeling with the Desmosedici.´