Ducati riders Hayden and Dovizioso positive over new chassis

The pair rode the development machine, which features a revised aluminium chassis, in Monday's Jerez test.

The bike has already been extensively trialled by test rider Michele Pirro, who also gave it a race debut at Jerez, finishing 11th.

Dovizioso said the new frame was an improvement, even if he conceded he had hoped for a bigger jump in performance.

"This is the first true change this year, and although it's not as big as I'd hoped, we're going in the right direction," he said.

"We were able to do a comparison with my current bike, and the lap time wasn't bad at all, while corner entry is better, especially in fast turns.

"It was interesting to try the bike with the new frame, which we should have soon to use in the races, although I still don't know exactly when."

Hayden meanwhile said he had felt marginal improvements, adding: "The positive thing is that we confirmed that the development is going in the right direction.

"Corner entry is easier, and that leads to a small improvement with turning as well.

"It was important to compare the lab bike that Pirro raced yesterday with my own.

"Hopefully they've got some more good information today that will help them to continue improving the bike."