So far so good for Stoner, Hayden has positive feeling

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden ended the first of two nights of testing in Qatar with the second and eighth fastest times of the session respectively.

The Ducati Marlboro riders worked throughout a sticky evening to get their GP10 machines to grips with a particularly slippery track surface. The high levels of humidity experienced tonight (Thursday) are also expected for the first race of the season, which takes place at the track on April 11th.

Casey Stoner - 1’55.717

“We tried a few different set-up solutions but the main focus tonight was the tyres. I used the same set for 30 laps and set some of my best lap times towards the end, so we are satisfied with that. We have also worked on the balance of the bike because the conditions here are very different to Malaysia and I prefer the bike to be more rigid. So far so good.”

Nicky Hayden - 1’56.855

“Things went well for the first half of the session then we kind of got stuck. The general feeling of the bike is quite good but I would like to be a step closer to the top guys. The biggest problem is that we're not able to get the most out of the soft tyre - we can't seem to get it working at the right temperature so I have to keep using the harder compound. It happened in Malaysia and we've struggled with it again today at a circuit where the conditions are very different, so it is important we work out the reason.”