The Panigale's first time in Brno

Brno is back on the calendar after five years of absence. Superbikes raced here for the first time in 1996 but had to wait until 2005 to become a permanent part of the schedule. The Czech race was again cancelled in 2012. It will therefore be the first time on the Moravian circuit for the Panigale R since it was first used in the world championship in 2013. In fact, before the Imola race the teams had a test session on the Czech track to take their first laps on a track where finding a good setup is anything but easy.

The track doesn't have any particularly slow corners or tricky braking, but rather is very rhythmic and full of wide-ranging curves where cornering speed is king. Power is also an important factor, bearing in mind that the entire final part of the track is on a steep climb, and so a particularly efficient engine is a good help for achieving competitive times.

At the end of the tests the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team riders were satisfied with the progress, and Melandri managed to solve the problems of hunting that had dogged him in the first rounds of this season.

Brno is one of Marco's favourite tracks, having already triumphed there three times, while Davies reached the podium only once, in 2008 when he was competing in Supersport. Talking statistics, the last Ducati victory dates back to 2008 with a decisive double win by Bayliss that launched him towards his third world title.

Below you can find the racing programme of the weekend: