After a relatively dismal run of MotoGP results, Ducati's Danilo Petrucci was buoyed by his times at the Misano test and is hoping for a return to podium for at the track this weekend in front of a home crowd.
Petrucci last finished in the top three at Barcelona but it still fourth in the championship chase, four points behind Suzuki's Alex Rins, so another podium could see him hop back into the top three.
“Racing in Italy is something unique and if you do it with an Italian bike like Ducati it’s even more special," said the ex-copper.
"In the last few races we’ve been some way off the podium but after the good feeling I had in the test a few days ago here at Misano I can say that I’m ready to do a weekend at the top.
"It won’t be easy because also our rivals did a couple of days of testing and they will surely be ready, but I was really satisfied with the feeling I found with the bike and so I’m very confident.
"Let’s see if the track conditions are similar to the ones we had in the test, because it’ll be vitally important to be able to interpret them in the best possible way and also the tyre wear."
