Barros: It's easier than the 990cc.

New Pramac d'Antin rider Alex Barros completed his first full day on an 800cc Ducati at Jerez on Wednesday, after rain curtailed his Tuesday debut.

The Brazilian veteran clocked up 63 laps, with his best a 1min 43.187secs - good enough for tenth overall - but was pleased with his first impressions of the machine.

"I am very satisfied with the positive impressions I had of the new Ducati 800cc," he declared. "Our first real test day was useful to discover the potential of the Ducati-Bridgestone combination and I am very happy about the Bridgestone performance. We worked on the machine balance and we can definitely improve our times with chassis and suspension changes.

"Basically, this was my first full day of testing with the new generation 800cc, and I just need more laps on the machine to understand it's nuances, but its definitely easier to ride than the 990cc. It has higher corner speed, and you can get on the gas very hard and really early with this bike.

"It was an intense day, as I predicted, but there were a lot of interesting discoveries we made. I need to get as many practice laps on the bike as possible to help unlock the secrets of the GP7, and to see the direction we need to take in order to find the best possible set-up for the machine. Both the team and I are very motivated, as this a completely new start for us. We want to be competitive in the next season," he underlined.

"We are satisfied with our first day of testing," added Barros' track engineer Fabiano Sterlacchini. "Barros started to discover the new machine's potential and his confidence in the package is high. We initially worked to set the bike up for his physique and riding style. In the morning we worked on the engine map settings, then on the rear suspension settings, and finished the day focusing on the front. Today's gathered data is a good base for us to start tomorrow's work."

Testing concludes on Thursday.