Test result 'a dream' for injured Stoner

The Ducati rider was quickest on two of the three days of the first MotoGP test of 2009, despite having to limit his mileage due to the discomfort in his wrist, which underwent surgery in November following the recurring injury that blighted the end of his 2008 season.

"Considering that I have recently had an operation and my wrist has still not full recovered, to be the fastest rider here is a dream to be honest," said Stoner.

He is optimistic that he will be in better shape when testing resumes in Qatar at the start of March.

"Now I have to work hard on improving my physical condition and recovering the level of movement I need to ride the bike properly without pain," Stoner said.

"Now I know that I can step up training on my arm and hopefully the situation will have improved for the Qatar test."

The former world champion was delighted with the performance of the latest Ducati in Malaysia.

"The more I ride the GP9 the more we understand how to improve the set-up of the new chassis and we made a big step forward with improving grip and feel with the new bike," Stoner said.

"The GP9 is a good bike and in every test we've done with it we've come out on top. That doesn't mean to say that we can afford to relax, though, and we'll keep our heads down and keep working."