Bayliss set for further Ducati tests

The triple Superbike world champion was drafted in as Ducati worked to make its bike more 'rider-friendly' and to get all five of its entries near the front of the field.

So far this year, Stoner has been Ducati's only podium contender, for while Pramac's Mika Kallio has had some impressive rides, the Finn's team-mate Niccolo Canepa, Stoner's team-mate Nicky Hayden, and Hernando Ducati rider Sete Gibernau have all struggled to get beyond the midfield.

Bayliss said he had been pleased with his pace and to assist Ducati, but emphasised that a comeback was definitely not on his agenda.

"I've had three good days during which I've felt like a rider again", said Bayliss. "It didn't take long to get back into it but, before anyone gets any ideas, I will also say that I'm happy to be heading back to the airport and towards Australia and home this evening: I have no intention of returning to racing.

"Having said that, I have had fun and I hope at the same time that I've been of use to [technical director] Filippo [Preziosi]. We worked each day on the bike and each day I was able to push harder, until I started to record some respectable times.

"Now I'll stay home for a while but later in June or July I'll be back in Europe for a few weeks. I will probably test the bike again during that time, I don't know exactly when, but I am very happy to play a part in this project."

Bayliss eventually got down to a 1m51.2s lap - just over a second off the best race lap at Mugello last year, and 0.2 seconds faster than the team's test rider Vittoriano Guareschi managed during the sessions.

Preziosi said Bayliss had definitely helped the team towards its goal of making the GP9 suit all its riders.

"Working with Troy has been useful because he has a very different riding style to Vittoriano," said Preziosi, "and so it's been interesting and beneficial to hear his impressions of the GP9 also.

"We worked on chassis set-ups that are pretty different from those which we usually use and the results were promising, although we need to look at this further."