Last weekend, Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado and Michael Ruben Rinaldi carried out their final pre-season test ahead of the start of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. Two weeks before the opening race of the season at MotorLand Aragon, the Argentinean-Italian pairing took to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for a three-day test in which they sought to finalise the setup of their Ducati Panigale R.

Mercado, who returns to the category in which he claimed the title in 2014, has declared the test a satisfying one.

“Friday was just a day of adapting to the track,” Mercado explains to WorldSBK.com. “The technicians worked fantastically. The bike is really going in the direction we want it to and the feeling I have with it is extraordinary.”

The Ducatis shared the track with machinery such as Yamaha, Aprilia and BMW bikes, allowing the Aruba duo to compare its competitiveness with others.

“We’ve tried a lot of new things,” Mercado begins to sum up. “Some have worked and others have not, but it is very important to know what is what. Now we can continue to prepare towards the first race in Aragon, having been able to ride the bike and confirm that it is looking very competitive on-track.”

The Superstock 1000 campaign for 2016 will kick-off in Aragon on the afternoon of Sunday 3 April, starting shortly after World Superbike Race 2.