Stoner hopes to be fit for final day

The Australian, who returned to action this week for the first time since injuring his shoulder in a crash at Jerez testing last December, felt the pains during a long run in the afternoon shortly after a clutch problem forced him into the pits.

With the cramps coming on the same left side as his injured shoulder, he knew it would be better to sit out the remainder of the day rather than risk hurting himself more.

"After lunch we started a long run and everything went great for the first ten laps," said the Australian. "I had a good pace together, inside the lap record, but then we started to get a strange vibration from the rear that was upsetting the bike in a couple of braking areas.

"I preferred to stop to try and work out what it was and we found a small problem with the clutch. We went back out again on the same tyres but started to get cramps in my left arm, so we decided it was better not to push it too much and to sit the rest of the day out.

"When I think that I was still suffering from pain in my shoulder only a week ago I have to be really happy with how things are going."

Despite the early end to his action, however, Stoner is pleased with how testing has gone this week.

"I felt much more comfortable on the bike from the first lap, so much so that we were able to start some front tyre tests for Bridgestone straight away," he said. "We've found some really interesting things and definitely a good base for the season - the Japanese guys are doing a great job."

He added: "I'm still not 100% but I'm able to ride much better than I expected. Now I know that I can begin making the right preparations to be ready for the start of the season. We'll keep working with Bridgestone tomorrow and give the new qualifiers a try."

Ducati Marlboro teammate Marco Melandri was happier with how his second day went as he continued to adjust himself to the GP8 bike.

"Today went a little bit better than yesterday," he said. "I feel better with the geometry now and we can start to work on the suspension.

"I'm still not completely used to the power delivery of the Ducati because there is plenty of it but it's not easy to make the most of it with my riding style. We are working on this aspect though and we'll find the best configuration for me.

"Tomorrow I want to start testing the new Bridgestones and I think they can also help me find something that will allow me to go a little faster. It is proving to be more difficult than I thought but there is no reason why we can't find a solution to the current problems. We'll keep working calmly and I'm sure we'll improve."