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Ducati seeks positives as Jerez MotoGP testing ends

Ducati insists there were still positives to glean from its final test of 2012 despite the return of bad weather and a 'freak' injury for Andrea Dovizioso

The Italian managed just three laps on the opening day before his running was curtailed by a neck injury.

While he had hoped to return, he was unable to do so over the second or third days.

Nicky Hayden therefore had sole responsibility for testing new parts and gathering data for the Italian team ahead of the obligatory two-month winter break.

The American completed a full programme on the first day, but a small crash denied him the chance to go out in optimum conditions on Thursday. The final day was then disrupted by rain and wind.

Team manager Vittoriano Guareschi admitted the setbacks had been far from ideal, but said the test had still been of value.

"Obviously, we would have preferred that things played out differently, but in such cases, you have to just make the best of the situation and gather as much good data as circumstances allow," he explained.

"We continued the testing program that we started at Valencia, looking for confirmation on the frame and swingarm that we tried in the latter part of the season.

"Unfortunately, Andrea's fluke problem with his neck was a setback, but Nicky turned some good lap times despite the tyres being at their limit in the cool conditions.

"Now we need to work at the factory over the winter in order to give our riders a competitive package at the first Sepang test in February."

Hayden echoed the view, adding: "Things didn't go as smoothly as we had hoped, but the test has been useful despite everything.

"We were able to evaluate the new frame and swingarm, as well as a few new settings, and have a lot of information to work with."

Dovizioso meanwhile expressed concern about his neck, saying further tests will be needed.

"It seems that the problem is probably bigger than we had previously thought, and I'll have to undergo some further medical tests," he said.

"It's something I had experienced at the GP in Malaysia, where I crashed twice, and in Australia, where I crashed once, and both times I had physiotherapy treatments and anti-inflammatory medicine.

"It re-emerged last week two days after a crash on my motocross bike, but the same treatment worked and I felt fine when I came to Jerez for the test.

"Unfortunately, it happened again after just a few laps, and this time we weren't able to resolve it with physio and anti-inflammatories."

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