Injured Loris Capirossi optimistic about fitness on Phillip Island return

A dislocated shoulder sustained in a collision with Toni Elias in the Aragon Grand Prix forced Capirossi to sit out the subsequent Motegi round, and he was concerned that he would still be in pain in Australia this weekend.

Though he expects his discomfort to get worse as the event goes on, Capirossi was cautiously pleased with how he had fared today, having been 10th in first practice.

"I was curious to see how my physical condition was and I have to say that I am quite satisfied," said Capirossi.

"The shoulder does still give me pain and I am at 85 per cent at this moment. Not so bad but each lap I will ride the more painful it will be.

"Anyway I should be able to finish the weekend without too many complications."

His Pramac Ducati team-mate Randy de Puniet was seventh in the second session and hopes he can maintain that form.

"Not a bad way to begin the weekend," said de Puniet. "In the last few races we were quite competitive from the beginning but then we couldn't manage to achieve good results during the race.

"I hope this time it will be different and that on Sunday we can achieve something important for me and for my team."