MotoGP world champion
Casey Stoner hailed a huge step forward after carrying his dominant Donington Park form over to day one of the Dutch TT at Assen.
The Ducati Marlboro star, whose Desmosedici has been tamed by new engine software, couldn't hide his delight after finishing Thursday practice a mighty 0.7secs ahead of nearest rival
Valentino Rossi, the current world championship leader.
"We're very happy with the fact we've come to another circuit and the new set up is working as well as it did at Catalunya [test] and
Donington," smiled Casey. "There don't seem to be any bad points to it and it is helping me ride like I want to again.
"I'm able to use harder compound tyres again and I'm just getting a better feel for the whole bike in general, without it bucking and weaving everywhere. We had a couple of moments today where it thought about trying to spit me but nothing to worry about."
Stoner was caught and passed by Rossi during a memorable 2007 Assen victory battle, but declared his Desmosedici to have been transformed since then.
"If you watch the race last year you can see the bike moving around a lot and we were struggling, whereas if you saw me ride today you can see what a huge step forward we've taken," explained the Australian, who starts round nine of the series 45 points behind Rossi.
"In fact, maybe with the exception of Donington, this is probably the first time since Qatar where I can say that this bike is better than last year's. Today we've gone faster than the pole record on a race tyre so we're delighted with how everything is coming together," he concluded.
But, yet again, casual MotoGP viewers could have been forgiven for thinking that team-mate
Marco Melandri rides for another manufacturer, as the Italian suffered another demoralising day.
The multiple MotoGP race winner and former world championship runner-up was left 18th and last and was the only rider - other than the injured
Loris Capirossi - to lap slower in the afternoon.
