With Telecom Italia brand, Alice, being one of the main sponsors of this weekend's Gran Premio d'Italia, it would be the perfect time for Luis d'Antin's Ducati riders Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli to record a simultaneous top ten finish.

Backed by the same group who title sponsor a Grand Prix for the tenth time at round six, since first becoming involved in MotoGP in 2005, the Alice Team pair will be hoping to step up performances after modest results at Le Mans last time out another Alice-sponsored race.

Elias' eighth place in China is the team's solitary top ten result in 2008 thus far, since their recruitment and restructuring process over the winter. Both, the Spaniard, and his French team-mate have struggled throughout the campaign thus far in qualifying.

Whilst they did not test after Le Mans like many of their premier class rivals the team are hopeful that with Bridgestone's continued focus on improving qualifying results and with this weekend's race taking place on Ducati's home track, Mugello could be provide an ideal opportunity to demonstrate improved competitiveness.

"We knew Le Mans wasn't going to be the most favourable track for our bike," admitted D'Antin. "We had several problems and in the end we only managed to get a few points. At Mugello things should be different for us. The outline of the circuit is much more suited to the characteristics of the Desmosedici and therefore we have all we need to get good results. We were on the podium here last year with Alex Barros."

Elias, meanwhile, wants to do well in Italy and take the momentum into his home race in Catalunya seven days later. He stated, "I am not satisfied with the beginning of the season. I am doing everything I can to improve myself and I hope to improve results soon. Mugello and Barcelona are two tracks which I really like and if we find a good balance with the bike on Friday I am sure we can do well."

After the home disappointment at Le Mans, where Guintoli wanted to do much better than the his 13th placed final position, the French rider says he in perfect physical condition to give his best at Mugello. "I feel really good," said the, always-likeable, 25 year-old. "At Le Mans things didn't go as we expected. Now we have six races in eight weeks, so it will be a good period to get to know our bike better and better and adapt my riding style. The bike has a great potential and we can do much better than we have done up until now."