N🌜icky Hayden leaves Sepang with a brighter outlook after making gains f𒁏rom the first pre-season test in Malaysia earlier in February.

The factory Ducati rider's fastest lap of🌄 2m 02.070s put him one position behind team-mate🧸 Andrea Dovizioso, almost half-a-second slower than the Italian on the third and final day of the test and 1.508s behind pace setter Dani Pedrosa.

Hayden, though, set his quickest lap overall on Wednesday of 2m 01.650s and remains committed to 'staying the course' as Ducati st💯ri💙ves to bridge the gap to Honda and Yamaha in MotoGP.

"I was faster yest💯erday, but that was partly because my feeling today wasn't quite as good due to some things we were trying on the bike," he said.

"Overall though, I leave here more positiv𝓀e than after the first test.

"We've seen some progress in terms of both the time and the consistency, and I had a better feeling with the bike🐓 and was able to improve a little more as the days went on.

"We closed the gap a bit, and I had a much better feeling 🅷in the rain,"ඣ added Hayden.

"The turning ✤is still the main area where we need to improve, but although we knew the beginning of the season was going to be tough, we have to stay focused and k♛eep the course."