From a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

BACK ON FAMILIAR GROUND

The World Championships continue apace with the Australian Phillip Island circuit next on the calendar, and this Sunday’s event marks the penultimate round of the MotoGP season. The d´Antin MotoGP riders have high hopes for this race, with the track being a favourite of both Rubén Xaus and Neil Hodgson, with the battling duo having sweet memories of past performances on ‘The Island’.

Added to this, the Briton and the Spaniard got the opportunity to test their Ducati Desmosedici bikes on this track in the pre-season, and they hope to put in a good performance in front of a crowd who treated them well in their Superbike days. Without a doubt, this will serve to take the edge off the cold snap which can strike the area at this time of year, and whatever happens the race will be run in complete contrast to the last two races run in searing heat.

RUBEN XAUS: “I know this circuit well, and I love it. I’ve ridden here in Supersport, Superbikes and we also tested here with the Desmosedici at the beginning of this year and the things we were able to test went well. It’s quick, but it has a couple of areas where you’re braking in the turn, although you need to be quick through the bends. It’s similar to Sepang in that if you’re on the throttle too much and carry too much corner speed, you don’t make enough of the exit. It’s also different to a lot of the others because it’s a left-hand turning track, which means you need to ride it differently, which is nice. I think we’ll go well on this track.”

NEIL HODGSON: “This is one of my favourite circuits. I’ve ridden there on numerous occasions with Superbikes and I also won both races last year, so I’ve got a good feeling about this track. It’s a very fast and technical circuit, where there are always exciting races, because the majority of riders love these fast tracks. The critical point is the final long left-hander because you are going quick round there and you need the bike to be very balanced, but I’m confident of doing a good race. It’s a place where I have a lot of friends and I have spent lots of time there fishing. I really like Phillip Island.”