FORMER MOTOGP World Champion Casey Stoner has tested Honda's RC212V MotoGP bike for the first time, as part of official post-season testing at Valencia.
The young Australian, who joins Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso in Repsol Honda's 2011 three-man squad, took to the Spanish track on an all-white Honda on the first day of testing, instead of the team's Repsol colours for contractual obligations with existing employers Ducati.
Stoner ended the day clocking the second-fastest time of the group with a best of 1:32.775. Newly crowned World Champion Jorge Lorenzo was the only man to go faster.
Stoner's impressive out-of-the-blocks performance may well rattle his new team-mates; Dani Pedrosa ended the day 0.2 secs slower than the Australian, while Andrea Dovizioso was almost a full 0.5 secs off Stoner's pace.
