Octo Ducati’s Scott Redding made some setup and electronic revisions at the Catalan MotoGP test which should help the tyre conservation problems in hot temperatures which saw him finish second-to-to last in Sunday’s Barcelona race.

Redding has struggled with keeping grip in the rear Michelin while running up against the traction control when track temperatures get above 40° but yesterday, he managed a race run which dropped into the 1’48s at the end compared to the race where he was in trouble from lap nine and his times ended in the 1’56s.

“I’d like to have had this setup in the race. We did a lot of laps on tyres, made from progress with electronics and bike setup. We did 21 laps on a set of tyres and I just started to drop into the 1’48s on the last two so if you’d have given me that yesterday, I would have taken it with both hands,” said Redding at the track.

“We found some stuff but it is too late, the race was yesterday but I think if we get into this situation again we will be able to improve in these conditions. I tried the new tyre in the afternoon and it was good. I had a bit more consistency and the more grip on the right-hand side.

“The problem in the race was the traction contro. I was losing grip and hitting it, meaning I was going nowhere. We were working to not get into the situation, which we managed. It’s not perfect but we made some steps forward. We are cradling the tyre, trying not to damage it which is a hard thing to do when you are racing. The Ducati’s strong engine doesn’t make that easy, but it is smooth so you can adjust it.”