'Really fast' - Dovizioso ups the pace

MotoGP title runner-up Andrea Dovizioso looks to have completed his final laps on the GP17 and is set to switch all his attention to the 2018 machine.

The Italian, like team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and Pramac's Danilo Petrucci, had one 2017 and one 2018 machine to compare during this week's Sepang test.

And whilst final-day gremlins restricted his track time on the new bike, Dovizioso expects to have two 2018s in his garage from the next test in Thailand.

The Italian was fourth quickest on the final day and overall, 0.339s behind team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. But in terms of pace Dovizioso looked a match for even Honda's Marc Marquez.

That was over an 11-lap run, rather than 15 laps for the Honda rider, but included one slow lap for Dovizioso - who was also forced back onto last year's GP17, but is now sure the '18 is better.

"Very happy because there are a lot of good sensations," began Dovizioso.

"The three days were quite strange because yesterday at the end I couldn't ride. Today I crashed and lost two hours.

"We expected good conditions because it was completely dry but maybe the humidity… the grip wasn't so good at the beginning and I felt the front more on the limit. I tried to push but at turn one I was too fast and did a small crash.

"Then at the end I couldn't continue with the 2018 because we had some problem and we went back to the 2017.

"But we understood a lot of things. So I'm really happy and last eleven laps with the 2017 we tested the front tyre and I did a really good pace even with not the best bike that I have here."

Although not the magic bullet for Ducati's mid-corner turning difficulties, the GP18 is a step in the right direction, with more parts still to come.

"I'm really happy because I'm able to be a little bit faster in the middle of the corner, to turn the bike a little bit better and if I compare the lap time with the competitors in the same moment I'm really fast. Especially in the pace.

"About the fast lap time, I couldn't make a really good lap time because I crashed in the morning and I didn't want to use all the tyres in the morning because it was too hot and we wanted to test and make our plan.

"But it's not important. It's more important the feeling I have with the bike and if I speak about these three days, it was really, really, really good. But I know it can be different at a different track so we have to wait for different conditions.

"We'll continue working in the same way because I'm happy about the new bike."

Do you think you are in a better position than one year ago?

"For sure. For a lot of reasons. Firstly because we fought the championship last year and this created in my mind and the mind of my team a different approach to everything. This is for sure positive.

"But also the new bike is better than last year. Also last year we were quite fast, but about the pace we were not the fastest. These three days the feeling was really good."

Buriram, scene of the second of the three pre-season tests, is a step into the unknown for all the MotoGP teams.

"It's always nice to go to a new track. Everywhere. On paper it doesn't look the most difficult track but maybe it's good for Ducati."

Will it help that the Ducati World Superbike team has been there?

"Some data, but not too much. Better than nothing for sure."