Nicky Hayden was in testing action with Ducati's GP12 bike at the Mugello circuit on Tuesday. The American rider completed 83 laps of the Italian track, despite the circuit being damp in the morning because of overnight rain.
Hayden was happy with his progress on the 2012 bike in spite of an difficult start.
"It was a positive day, even if the track conditions this morning weren't great because of the rain last night," said Hayden. "That caused us to get started a bit late, but we worked on the setup and some new changes that have been made to the GP12.
"I only started having better feeling after the lunch break, when the sun made the track conditions better. The new asphalt is definitely a big improvement, especially in some spots, like the two Arrabbiate corners, which are really fun now.
"I'm satisfied with the steps forward that have been made with the bike since the first time I tried it, at Jerez. Thanks to Filippo (Preziosi) for giving me the opportunity to ride it again."
Teammate Valentino Rossi will wrap up the test today.