Alstare Ducati's Carlos Checa found a single, fast lap to top the World Superbike testing timesheets at Phillip Island and get to within two-tenths of his own pole lap record set in 2011.
The former champion, who was hospitalised with a blocked intestine last week, went against perceived form on the wholly underdeveloped 1199 Panigale to lap at 1'31.059, almost two tenths quicker than nearest rival Marco Melandri on the Goldbet BMW.
‘I’m extremely happy with the results; it was a nice surprise to make the fastest lap, with everybody riding in the same conditions. I honestly didn’t believe that we’d be at this level at this point; I thought I’d finish about seventh," said Checa.
"We were already able to find a good base setting yesterday and then continued to work from there today. I like the fact that every change we make to this bike is positive and it seems that everything we do results in us going in the right direction.
"The team are working really well together and this is the first time this year that we’ve had good conditions that have allowed us to spend a lot of time on the bike. Working on this new project right now is one of the most satisfying moments of my life. It is an exciting challenge and today’s results show that the bike has great potential and that there is still room for improvement."
Fixi Suzuki's Leon Camier ended the test in third place overall with his blistering lap from yesterday but said that he was 'just crusing around' on day two using the time to test the longevity of the hard tyre.
Kawasaki's Tom Sykes found some pace in the afternoon session after rain in the morning put paid to any quick times. The Huddersfield man ended in fourth overall with a 1'31.261, just ahead of Michel Fabrizio on the Red Devils Aprilia.
Pata Honda pairing Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam were sixth and seventh, with the Irishman setting a faster lap today than yesterday but Haslam was unable to go any quicker. Eugene Laverty finished in eighth with his time from yesterday.
Davide Guigliano and Sylvain Guintoli rounded out the top ten with Jules Cluzel 11th and Chaz Davies in 12th.
