Former Kawasaki rider
Randy de Puniet has been flying in winter testing with the satellite LCR Honda team - and posted the third quickest time during the final floodlit test at Losail last week.
But the biggest 'test' of all will come at this weekend's night time season opener, when the Frenchman will aim to convert his winter pace into a heavy points haul.
"The winter tests have been very productive for me and the whole team," confirmed Randy. "The Honda/Michelin package is working well and my results were quite positive - especially my pace on race tyres.
"I'm looking forward to racing in Qatar because I prefer these new conditions when the temperature is cooler and I don't have any special problems with the shadows on the track.
"We found a good base set-up and didn't change many things during the last test session so we focused on tyre testing with good results. I feel confident for the first race of the season and it'll be a great show with the new lightning system."
de Puniet, preparing to start his third
MotoGP season, took his first premier-class podium with a second place finish at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix.
