Dovizioso finding Ducati fairing choice "difficult"

Last year's championship runner-up concluded the first day at the new-for-2018 Buriram circuit fourth fastest, just 0.148s shy of pacesetter Cal Crutchlow on the LCR Honda.

Dovizioso tried out a new aerodynamic fairing in the closing stages of Friday's running [pictured above], similar to the one used in the latter half of 2017 but with a single, sculpted element.

"About the fairing, we are working on that because it’s a very strange work to work with the wings and the fairing," said Dovizioso.

"When you try a set-up, you can from your style prefer something one way or the other way.

"The fairing is something very difficult to take a decision, in one track it can be better and on another track another one can be better. It’s very difficult, tomorrow we will work on the details about that.

"Today we spent one hour and a half, but we need to make more laps in every spec to have the best feedback because it’s very difficult to work with this fairing."

Dovizioso clarified that after having one 2017 bike and 2018 bike to use in Sepang, he is now using two 2018 bikes - but has yet to try the latest one in Thailand.

"We didn’t try," the Italian said when asked. "I think tomorrow I will have time to work on that."

Bike of Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team with fairing

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Jorge Lorenzo had his own new fairing to try [above], featuring an extra element near the handlebars and a longer side section.

But the three-time premier class champion was tight-lipped when asked how it compared to the version that transformed his fortunes when it was introduced in the middle of last year.

"Very similar [to last year's fairing]," he said after ending up 10th-fastest. "Still too soon to take clear conclusions."

The Spaniard added he expected to try the updated chassis on the final day of testing on Sunday.

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont