Capirossi predicts return to form

The veteran Italian urged Ducati to adapt the GP7 bike more to his needs after the Le Mans race a fortnight ago, when Capirossi had again struggled for pace.

While his teammate Casey Stoner has taken three wins from five races and leads the championship, Capirossi has so far only scored one podium this season, and was convinced that the engine settings would have to be adapted for his riding style before he could get back on the pace.

Ducati made the changes he requested in time for Mugello, and after qualifying fifth, Capirossi believes he is ready to turn his troubled season around.

"I have a good feeling on the bike again and I will try to do my best tomorrow," he told autosport.com.

"This track I love, and anyway I have good feeling from the engine and the bike and I am ready to come back to the front - this is my target. Tomorrow, we'll see what happens."

The revised settings mean that Capirossi have less straightline speed than Stoner, but he is confident that this disadvantage is negated by the improvement in power delivery.

"I think the big difference with the new one is the torque - it's a little bit better than the old one," he said.

"For my style, it's helping a lot, and for me this is the important thing.

"For sure the top speed is less, maybe five or six km/h less, but the feeling to ride it is much better, and this is the thing I want."