The JiR Team Scot signing finished the test just 0.046secs behind factory Honda star Nicky Hayden, in second position, although 'Dovi' lost out on top rookie honours by 0.026secs to Yamaha Tech 3's James Toseland on qualifying tyres.

Nevertheless, Dovizioso believes that his race pace is currently stronger than his qualifying form and that - with some further improvements - he can achieve his goal of running with the leaders from his first MotoGP race, at Qatar on March 9.

"Today we did a lot of work with Michelin, testing many, many different tyre and compound options. I'm very satisfied with my relationship with them. They have reacted so fast to my feedback, so I feel our relationship will grow together," said Andrea.

"With racing tyres my pace is pretty good, but in qualifying set-up with the softer tyres I'm still suffering a little vibration, which occurs when entering a corner under engine braking. This is complicating my efforts to get a fast time on qualifying tyres.

"In general the feeling with the bike is fantastic, but at the next test at Jerez we will work a lot to reduce the rear-wheel hop we are getting under braking. This will be our main target. Overall, we want to be more competitive as the level of competition is very high and I want to be out front with the leaders," he stated.

Dovizioso's next test will be against a full line-up of 2008 riders at Jerez from February 16-18.