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SBK, Melandri: the Ducati isn't moving around any more

"We've turned a corner during the Brno test, taking a good step forward", Davies: "I still have some question marks"

SBK: Melandri: the Ducati isn't moving around any more

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It's been two non-stop weeks for SBK. After the Aragon round, it was straight on to Assen for round 4, following by testing at Brno. The two days in the Czech Republic saw various teams take to the track, including Kawasaki, Yamaha and Ducati.

In the Ducati camp, the priority was to stop the continual bike movement, something that has conditioned Marco Melandri during this first part of the season: "It was a really important test. The goal, more even than to prepare the race here, was to improve stability on the straight.

The Italian appears confident, despite the test having been interrupted by rainfall: "We took a decisive turn and the situation has improved significantly. We ran several back-to-back checks to better understand the nature of the problem, and I think we achieved our goal. Perhaps not 100 percent, but we took a big step forward. Now we head to Imola: I'm confident and sure I'll be able to fight, with even more determination."

Joining Melandri during the test was Chaz Davies: "It's been a steady test. We leave Brno with some room for improvement but, then again, racing is always a different game compared to testing. It's always nice to ride there, even though it's been windy and with a lot of pollen in the air so the track wasn't in fantastic conditions.

The Welshman's mind is already focused on the next event: “We worked hard for two days, gathering solid answers even though we still need to clear a few question marks. Now it's time to recharge ahead of Imola."​​​​​​​

In two weeks' time, Michael Rinaldi will also be in action at the Italian round, and so he's keen to sharpen his weapons ahead of the inevitable battle: “​​​​​​​We're pretty satisfied in general with the outcome of this test. In terms of performance, I've been quite close to the factory riders and we found a good base both in terms of pure speed and consistency. The track is fascinating and not too demanding physically. It's really fun to ride it with a Superbike".

Translated by Heather Watson
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