Honda boosted by test progress

Pedrosa finished the day third fastest, behind Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, while Dovizioso was fifth behind Loris Capirossi's Suzuki.

Despite the day's meaningful running being liminted by rain in the afternoon, the pair sampled several new parts and expect the developments to help them make a push to catch Yamaha in the remaining races this year.

"It was a useful test session today, even though the rain tried to mess with our plans, and I hope that what we've learnt can help us for the next races," said Pedrosa.

"In the morning we worked on some set-up improvements from the race weekend and we were able to find some more speed. After lunch we were set to try some new suspension components, which we managed to do when the track dried after the rain.

"Of course it takes time to perfect the set-up when you try new things, but our pace was quite good and the feeling was promising. Overall, this was a worthwhile test."

Dovizioso was encouraged after testing development suspension parts for the first time and was also happy with the gains.

"It was good to get some testing time today because the new rules mean any extra track time is very valuable," he said. "It was an interesting day because we tried quite a few set-up options including some different suspension parts, and this was a first for me.

"Because of the limited time, we couldn't evaluate their full potential, but the initial feedback was positive. We also continued to work with the set-up for the new swingarm we used this weekend and managed to improve our speed.

"Honda is working very hard for the remaining races and also for next year, and the team is fully committed."