“The main difference that I noted was how much power there is low down,” Eugene Laverty commented after his first runs on his new Ducati Desmosedici steed during testing at Valencia. “I can really accelerate out of corners. It’s really got power when we need it.”

Laverty’s Aspar team, disappointed with the Hondas they leased this year, have acquired what Ducati call 14.2 versions of the desmo V4, and his first impressions seemed encouraging. Ducati’s seamless-shift gearbox - the Honda had a conventional one - was one advantage that he rapidly absorbed on the bike.

A normal gearbox has a slight lag when changing ratios, but the seamless one enabled him to change both direction and gears while maintaining instant power.

But what of the Michelins - perhaps the biggest change faced by all riders in 2016? “The rear’s got some grip,” he enthused. “Even when the tyre was used I had rear grip.”

And the Michelin front, which caused a spate of falls when riders tried them earlier this year? “I don’t understand it yet,” he said. “But it’s clear that the front fork internals are a long way from what I need. When I was trail-braking and leaning in, the tyre was slipping. I like to maintain constant pressure on the brake. The fork needs to allow the tyre to maintain grip.”

He summed up: “The bike was nice to ride. It was placid, because the power is really linear.”