Four-time champion Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and his MCE British Superbike Championship rookie team-mate Glenn Irwin have completed the opening day of pre-season testing at Portimao ahead of their 2016 campaign.

The Be Wiser Ducati team joined the official Ducati test to clock up their first laps onboard the Panigale with a further day at the Portuguese circuit tomorrow before moving on to Almeria. Both riders reported a positive start to their pre-season test campaign and are looking forward to further improvements tomorrow (Saturday).

Shakey said:

"Today has been really positive for our first day on track with the new bike. I spent a lot of time working with the team on fuelling, throttle response and engine mapping so have been in and out of the garage quite a lot to make the different changes. I feel extremely satisfied with what the whole Be Wiser Ducati team have achieved today and where we have got to already. It would have been simple for my crew chief to throw in some different maps and go for it, but we have been building from the ground up.

"We have set some pretty good lap times considering it has been a steady day so it has been incredibly good in that respect and if we get another good day under our belts tomorrow that will put us in an even better position for our next test. A few days ago the Be Wiser Ducati didn't even run and had never even been on track, so today has been astounding and speaks volumes about the hard work put in already by the team. I am getting more comfortable all of the time and I know what it takes to win in BSB and what I need to achieve in the build up to the start of the season to be very competitive. If we continue in the manner we are at the minute, I'm very confident this will be the case!"

Irwin said:

"It has been a really productive first day here in Portimao and I have worked closely with my new team; my crew chief, my data guys and mechanics and we have made a lot of good progress. I don't feel like an alien to the Superbike anymore at the end of today! It definitely had a positive end as I was able to follow [Davide] Giugliano for a lap which was pretty cool. It has also been cool listening to Shakey today talking about the bikes; we are both different riders and we have been talking about how we can improve so roll on day two!"