De Angelis surprised by his speed

The Gresini rider was second quickest in both the morning and afternoon sessions, finishing only behind the dominant Ducati of Casey Stoner.

De Angelis said he was not expecting to be so strong.

"I was definitely expecting good results here at Sachsenring because this is a good track for me," said de Angelis.

"Honestly, though, I didn't expect to be quite so fast from this morning's first practice and again in the afternoon.

"I am very satisfied because we've still got a few cards up our sleeves that can help us improve even further. Stoner is obviously very fast but it would be fantastic if we can consolidate this result."

The Italian squad enjoyed a good day in Germany, with Shinya Nakano setting the sixth fastest time.

"I'm quite satisfied with this first day of free practice because we've put a good pace together and my lap times were good even on used tyres," Nakano said.

"We still have to find a few more tenths because the riders just above me are slightly faster but we'll make this our target for tomorrow and work hard at it."