Capirossi upbeat after strong practice

The Italian, who this weekend will break the record for most grand prix appearances, finished as third quickest in the afternoon after a somewhat slow start in the morning.

Capirossi decided to use a new chassis in the second session and the decision paid off, leaving the Suzuki rider confident of continuing with his strong form following his podium in Brno.

"I am really happy with the way things went this afternoon because this morning things didn't go quite right at the start and the bike didn't work so well," said Capirossi. "We then changed to the new chassis and it was better straight away.

"We made sure we set it up the best we could and I am really happy with how it worked! The team is working really hard and we have never lost our way today and this is important because after the great weekend we had in Brno we need to continue with that kind of performance.

"I am sure we will all improve tomorrow, and in the race, and that we can carry on the great run the team is having."

Teammate Chris Vermeulen was also encouraged by his team's performance after posting the fifth fastest time of the day.

Vermuelen says he is aiming to qualify on the front row tomorrow.

"The bike worked pretty good straight out of the crate and some of the new parts we tested at Brno worked well here," the Australian said. "I am really happy with the way Suzuki has worked to make the bike more competitive and it feels like we have taken a big step forward today.

"We've changed some things to get the tyres working well with new frame and that is all now coming together. We tried a new rear tyre towards the end of the session and I was happy with the grip and consistency.

"Tomorrow we have a few more chassis set-up changes and the aim is to qualify on at least the front two rows."