Stoner unimpressed by Misano

The Italian venue has rejoined the MotoGP calendar this season after a 14-year absence, and has been heavily revised for its return.

But Stoner was unimpressed by the layout after getting his first proper chance to evaluate the track in today's practice session.

"Maybe it's not quite fast enough for a MotoGP bike - not just the straight parts, but the corners are a little bit too tight, I think," he said. "It's too much of a go-kart track, basically."

The Australian was also perturbed by the mixture of asphalt and gravel in the run-off areas after crashing in practice.

"There are a couple of corners that are a little bit worrying," Stoner said. "Off the end of the back straight, you come in very fast and as soon as you hit the Tarmac you actually gain speed.

"As soon as I crashed this morning, I didn't feel myself slow down until I hit the gravel, and at some points there's not really enough gravel before you hit the wall.

"We're just going to have to wait and see. It could be a little smoother for sure."

Stoner added that it wasn't the concept of asphalt run-offs that he was concerned about, but the particular surface used at Misano.

"At other circuits it seems to work quite well, but the surface they use here is not very abrasive, so it doesn't slow you down," he said.

"It might actually be more of a problem than a help at this circuit. If there was a different surface, I actually like this idea. It gives you a second chance."

Only one of the three scheduled practice sessions took place today as a mid-morning downpour left much of the circuit flooded.

Stoner said he saw no reason why the rest of the weekend could not continue as planned once the standing water was cleared, but remained shocked by the sheer amount of rainfall.

"They really need to get the pumps working and if they pump out the water from the corners, there should be no problem," he said. "But if they don't arrive to do this, then maybe it's a little difficult to ride. There's a lot of water, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this."

Although he criticised many aspects of the circuit, Stoner was more upbeat about the prospects for close racing at Misano.

"From watching the Superbike race, there should be some good places to overtake - before the back straight and the corner before that," he said. "There are many small (tight) corners, so there should be overtaking."