(CNN) -- Casey Stoner showed he will be a force to be reckoned with at new team Honda by dominating practice for the season-opening MotoGP event in Qatar on Friday, but seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi struggled as he seeks to replace the Australian at Ducati. Repsol Honda claimed the three quickest times in the evening session at the Losail International Circuit, with Stoner's best of one minute 55:035 seconds heading off Spaniard Dani Pedrosa and Italian Andrea Dovizioso. Yamaha's world champion Jorge Lorenzo was fourth fastest as he beat young American teammate Ben Spies for the first time in three sessions this week.
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Honda's new signing Casey Stoner quickest ahead of qualifying in Qatar
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Australian was the fastest in both of Friday's practice sessions at Losail
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Seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi was off pace with Stoner's old team
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Italian complains of shoulder pain after finishing eighth for Ducati
@placeholder, who ended a seven-year stint with Yamaha at the end of a 2010 season marred by injuries, was eighth.
"Today was a bit difficult, because we had hoped to make a bigger improvement, but in the end we didn't lower our time enough," @placeholder told the Ducati website.