Stoner: Victory feels like 2007 again

The Australian has now won at Losail four times in five years, but he said today's performance in his first race as a factory Honda rider felt particularly reminiscent of when he stunned the paddock by taking his maiden win in the '07 opener and went on to charge to the title with Ducati in his first season at the squad.

"It definitely couldn't be any better," said Stoner. "It's a similar start to what we had when we won the championship, though at the same time we've had some fantastic starts to the season [at other times]...

"But everything with Honda so far has been amazing. Everything we've done with the bike during pre-season, we've made leaps and bounds in getting more comfortable with the bike.

"This weekend we've just been getting stronger and stronger as the weekend went on. For the race the bike was still fantastic and I had a great feeling with it."

Stoner said earlier in the weekend that he was even more excited about the races following Qatar as while he has always shone at Losail, he believes the 2011 Honda can allow him to produce similar form at tracks traditionally weaker for him.

"I'm very, very happy at the moment," said Stoner. "I'm looking forward to those next races already."