Bautista pleased with Suzuki progress

The Spaniard tried three chassis and a new rear swingarm on the GSV-R, and completed a number of comparison tests over the marathon 63 laps he completed.

"Immediately I left the pit lane this morning the feeling was more normal than yesterday - after my first day back at work it was easier to understand everything," said the 26-year-old 2006 125cc world champion. "On my first run I set a good lap time and this was very close to the fastest guys, except Dani [Pedrosa] who made a real qualifying lap!

"Much more important was that I could make high 2m01 laps with very old tyres, and my rhythm felt good. Also, I tried three different chassis today and the results of that test were quite clear, and we have made an improvement to front feeling and turning.

"The engineers have also done some good work with the traction control and this is helping me get out of the corners more smoothly."

"Anyway, now I am quite tired after 63 laps and I didn't push for a fast time at the end of the day like many guys did - it's more important to understand the bike on old tyres," he added. "I am very happy with the developments Suzuki has made, and I'm enjoying myself - I think we can have some fun this season!"