With the rest of the MotoGP™ teams having departed Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Monday evening, Suzuki stayed on to complete a further two days of running at the Adriatic venue.

At the end of Wednesday, Suzuki reported a ‘positive’ conclusion to proceedings, having evaluated several new factory components including a new chassis, new engine specifications and revised electronics plus a newly-styled cowling. Randy de Puniet and Nobuatsu Aoki completed more than 200 laps of Misano, collecting valuable data ahead of their next test at Mugello next week.

‘The new engine specifications, revised for more torque - and coupled with new electronics for better traction control and engine braking - were tested. The new chassis, that was elected by the Team to further develop at last month's Motegi Test in Japan, was also evaluated and developed further along with a new-style cowling designed for a better overall top speed,’ a Suzuki press release explains.

“It has been an intensive three-day test, but I think we have done a good job,” commented Suzuki MotoGP Test Team Manager Davide Brivio. “This is the first round of our 'Italian Testing Campaign' which includes Mugello next week. We have had a chance to visit another new circuit for our machine and we can continue to get good information for our development. It is very positive that the new items that arrived from Japan have all had positive points and benefits.

“We have made positive improvements on settings; and especially in the electronics area, which will drive our future development. Randy did many laps on the last day and that was very important to make progress. We now look forward to next week's Mugello test on September 24th and 25th (Tuesday and Wednesday) to work on any further issues and find further solutions.”

The team initially experienced issues in the form of low rear grip levels under braking, but did garner much data as track temperatures fluctuated between 22 and 37 degrees amid both dry and wet conditions. Aoki did the majority of testing work on a wet Tuesday, but the best lap time came on the final day with 1’34.882 being posted; for the record, this compares with Saturday’s pole position time of 1’32.915 set by championship leader Marc Marquez for Repsol Honda Team.

“I'm pleased because we have improved our bike throughout this test,” added de Puniet, who readapted to the Suzuki machine from his usual Power Electronics Aspar ART. “The rear grip has improved and so has the braking stability. We also worked a lot on traction control to adjust to the new engine specifications and I found a better throttle connection and improvement. We also kept a good pace with used tyres, which is very important, and we have also greatly-improved the turning.

“Now it is important to go to Mugello, where we can continue to work on any weak points and try to improve there as well. I'm interested to see how the 'wheeling control and engine brake' will work there as there are few interesting points for that, but having the Mugello test so close keeps up in the pace and momentum with the Suzuki MotoGP Test Team programme and development.”

As the Mugello test ends on Wednesday of next week, de Puniet will the head directly to Aragon in order to contest the 14th round of the season on his CRT machine.