Dovizioso promises even stronger race

In Japan, Dovizioso took his first ever MotoGP pole, then chased Casey Stoner for the lead throughout the race.

Representing the Honda works team alone again with Dani Pedrosa still injured, Dovizioso said he had made major progress in the week since Motegi, and was thrilled to demonstrate it with another front row start.

"It's always important [to qualify well], the level of the riders and bikes in MotoGP is so high," said Dovizioso.

"But the important point in getting the first row for us is because it means we're doing a really good job.

"I'm so happy with the work of the team. We've improved a lot from Japan to here, just with the set-up."

After briefly holding second in the championship following a very strong start to the season, a summer slump saw Dovizioso drift back to fifth in the standings. He regained one position at Motegi, and now feels he has made a major performance breakthrough.

"I'm so happy because it's good when you find the way," said Dovizioso. "It will be a hard race but it will be nice."