Salt Lake Motorsports

Four days at the Estoril circuit were completed with a test session on April 14th with warm and sunny conditions. During the test Stoner settled a consistent pace in the 1’37s. “I’m happy with the work we’ve done today. We modified a few things that made the bike a little less nervous over the bumps and allowed me to lap in 1’37s with more consistency than I managed yesterday. We also tried a few new tyres and found some interesting things.” Fellow Ducati Marlboro Team rider Marco Melandri found his fastest lap at 1′39.725, saying “Things have improved a little and I’m quite pleased. We need to continue and be positive, work together and I’m sure we’ll find the way forward.” Current world standings have Stoner in 4th and Melandri in 13th. Rumors were also abound this week that Team Ducati Marlboro is doing outside tests on the Desmosedici GP8 with former GP riders Troy Bayliss and Max Biaggi, confirming that the team may make such a move with Marco Melandri.