LCR Honda's Randy De Puniet has shocked the MotoGP paddock at Assen, setting the fastest time in the opening free practice session ahead of Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner.

The Frenchman went out for his last run of laps and, with a tow from Marlboro Ducati's Stoner, popped into fifth place with his penultimate lap before banging in a soft-compound Bridegstone and going quickest on a 1'38.842.

Fiat Yamaha's Rossi was just five one-thousandths of a second slower with a 1'38.847 and Stoner three one-hundredths slower than the Italian. Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was fourth quickest and just outside the 1'37s bracket with a 1'38.061.

Rossi, Stoner and Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa started the hour-long session swapping fastest lap times and after 22 minutes, Rossi went to the top of the timesheets with a 1'39.041 which demoted Spaniard Pedrosa to second.

A minute later, Pedrosa was back at the top, dropping into the 1'38s with a 1'38.817 but Rossi went quickest again just 30 seconds later on a 1'38.684 with Stoner in fourth on a 1'39.059.

Monster Yamaha's James Toseland was between the Spaniard and the Australian in third with a 1'39.013 even after nearly coming together with Sete Gibernau and having to sit up through the back of the circuit.

Toseland's team-mate Colin Edwards made steady progress through the field until he set the fastest lap with 38 minutes of the session to go on a 1'38.573 and then bettered it by two tenths on his next lap.

Edwards' reign lasted 10 minutes as Pedrosa went fastest with a 1'38.194 while Lorenzo left it until 16 minutes to go to depose his compatriot with a 1'38.061. His time didn't last long however, as Rossi was back at the top two minutes later and broke through the 1'37 barrier on a 1'37'896, then lowering it to 1'37.847 one lap later.

Pedrosa's team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was quietly making progress up the leaderboard, going to sixth place with eight minutes to go and then into third with a 38.092 but was demoted to fourth immediately by Stoner who was two one-hundredths faster.

De Puniet set the quickest time with his final lap as Toseland, who had been busted down to tenth by laps from Alex De Angelis and Loris Capirossi, came back to ninth with a 1'38.379.
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