Stoner disappointed by Assen changes

The Dutch circuit underwent some significant changes ahead of last year's race, with the popular De Bult corner adapted to reduce the speed on that part of the track.

The changes have left Stoner disappointed.

"I'm sure there's going to be some great races at Assen this year, but the new circuit is disappointing because the old layout was unbelievable, really good fun to ride," said Stoner ahead of this weekend's race.

"They even ruined what was probably my favourite corner in the world [De Bult], it was a great banked left-hander and now they've flattened it out and destroyed it.

"Anyway, we were quite competitive there last year. I think I came from 14th or 15th at the first corner to fight for the top three and I got fourth, so it was a really good race for us. I think this year we can go there with slightly higher expectations."

The Ducati rider is nonetheless looking to put on another strong performance following his victory in Donington last weekend.

"At Donington we again proved that the Ducati has got more than just power," said Stoner. "The bike and tyres are working well for me and we are competitive at pretty much every circuit.

"I'm really enjoying the races and I'm going to keep working at it like that because if you look start looking at the championship maybe you'll get too involved in it," added the Australian, 26 points ahead of Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi.