Alex Barros experienced the power of Bridgestone qualifying tyres for the first time at Jerez today - as he finished the final test of 2006 as the fastest Ducati rider.

The Brazilian completed 65 laps on Thursday, clocking a best time of 1min 41.276secs with the qualifiers - putting him eight overall and 1.366secs from fastest man Dani Pedrosa, who also used super soft rubber. Factory Ducati riders Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner stuck to race tyres on their way to setting the ninth and tenth fastest lap times.

"Overall, the Jerez test was very positive," declared Barros. "I am satisfied with the feeling we achieved in concert with the new technical package. We found a good balance for the front suspension settings, while we can still improve the rear. The Bridgestone tyres were amazing, especially the qualifying one with which I clocked my best time. I am very happy to have this quality of material at my disposal.

"We can truly say we reached our objectives of discovering and understanding the new GP7, and defining the general settings of the bike. We will go to Malaysia for the next test with a good base set-up, and with clear ideas on how to improve the total package," he added.

"We worked steadily on the geometry of the machine to try and understand all the possibilities we have for chassis settings," revealed race engineer Fabiano Sterlacchini. "We improved the general balance of the bike, first concentrating on the front, and later, the rear. Barros altered his riding style a little bit, and in this way, gained a better time lap. The data gathered during the Jerez test will be analysed, and we will use it as our base to begin the Malaysian tests with."