From a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN CONCLUDES
TESTING AT BARBER

Birmingham (Alabama) – The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team wrapped up a productive two-day test at Barber Motorsports Park with Eric Bostrom turning a total of 101 laps in warm and sunny conditions.

“Things went really well today,” said Bostrom. “I’m really curious about what the pace is going to be on this new asphalt. We worked with Michelin to find the right tire and I got my time down by a couple of seconds over yesterday. I’m happy about the progress because things just keep coming together.”

The team’s test follows an incredible AMA debut at the Daytona 200 where Bostrom proved the potential of the Ducati 999 by qualifying in pole position and running at the front of the field until a stone-damaged oil cooler forced his early retirement from the race.

“The main goal of our test was to find the ideal front tire and we found a solution that we are happy with,” explained race engineer Luca Ferraccioli.

“With the increased confidence Eric is showing with the set-up, we feel that good things can happen at Fontana,” declared the team’s racing manager Tom Bodenbach. Fontana is one of the few tracks where Bostrom has had the opportunity to test the 999. A test session in mid February gave the team critical data to work with as they head into the next round at the Southern California venue.

Round 2 of the AMA series will be held April 2-4 at California Speedway in Fontana.