Dani Pedrosa upbeat about physical form after topping practice at Brno

The Spaniard was still recovering from his injuries in the last race before the summer break, and welcomed the two weeks off as he continued making progress.

On Friday, Pedrosa set a blistering pace at Brno, and he admitted he was feeling very well following the break.

"The feeling was very good today from the beginning," said Pedrosa. "The bike was working well from the first round and we could move ahead, improving little by little in both practice sessions.

"I think the main difference I felt is that I'm fresh after the summer break, the rest I had has helped me a lot, I can feel the energy I didn't have in the races before the break, so I hope I can keep the pace for Saturday and Sunday and be strong for the race.

"I'm very happy with the job we did in both sessions and I think we can still improve and be ready for both the qualifying practice and the race. I guess the other rivals will also do the same, so we have to keep focused.

"Today I rode alone all the time, maybe tomorrow I can compare a little with other riders to see where are they stronger or weaker than me".

Despite finishing in second position, team-mate Casey Stoner was not too happy about his day, the championship leader conceding he was unsure about the direction for the bike's set-up.

"Today hasn't been that positive, to be honest, we seem to be having a similar start to our weekend in Laguna and aren't sure which direction to take at the moment," he said.

"The feeling in the front is very vague, our corner entry and mid-turn isn't that great. We also need to find a lot more grip in the rear as I'm struggling on the edge of the tyre and exit of the corner.

"We have a long way to go before I feel happy with the set-up and there are many areas we can improve, so tomorrow we will be trying a lot of different things on both bikes and prepare as best we can for qualifying."