Shane Byrne believes he is capable of scoring a 'great result' for Sterilgarda Ducati after an encouraging provisional qualifying session saw him end the day in fifth position.

Much is expected of the Briton this weekend following his star turn during pre-season testing around the Portuguese circuit when he topped each session.

While his season hasn't quite mirrored that early promise, Byrne's momentum has gathered pace as the year has worn on and he is in the hunt for eighth in the overall standings with just two races remaining.

Even so, while Byrne went straight to the settings he used during those Portimao tests, he insists he felt more comfortable on his updated set-up, one which allowed him to provisionally qualify fifth.

"We worked on two different bikes today. One had the same setup as in the January testing, the other bike had the one we used at Magny Cours. I had a better feeling with the latter though as I set a series of fast laps and I went really close to the quickest time.

“Unfortunately, when I put the soft tyre on, I was a bit slowed down by the riders in front of me. However, the time I set today wasn't that important anyway, but it will be tomorrow.

“It's crucial that we start in the front so that we don't lose valuable time in the pack and the opportunity to score a great result, especially in the first laps.”