Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner is feeling confident he can pick up where he left off with his winning ways at Brno after the MotoGP mid season break.

Stoner left the U.S. Grand Prix buoyant after his fifth win of the year stretched his advantage over Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo to 20 points.

The win was Stoner’s best of the year, after executing two perfect passes, first on team mate Dani Pedrosa then on Lorenzo, he took the lead and stormed to victory in the latter stages of the race. The win kept alive his record of podium placements in every race he’s finished.

Despite that remarkable consistency Stoner wasn’t at his best for the final three races prior to the summer break. A high-side crash during Friday practice for the Dutch TT left him in less than peak physical condition for the next two races.

The summer break was perfectly timed to allow him to relax in sunny southern California so that he could return in Brno in fighting form and at full strength for the second half.

“I’ve really enjoyed this summer break. After a great race in Laguna, we decided to stay in California and visit some friends and enjoy some down time, mixed in with some training. Now I feel relaxed and ready for the second half of the season,” Stoner commented.

The 27 year old Australian won the Czech Grand Prix during his 2007 World Championship-winning season. He also has a second place finish at the track in Brno.

“I’m looking forward to going to Brno. It’s a circuit I’ve always enjoyed and I believe with the results we’ve had in the past years we can expect to have a good race there. I’ve seen that the Honda can be very competitive at all circuits this year, so I’m sure we will also be strong in Brno,” the Aussie added.

“The fact that it’s very fast and flowing has helped the Yamahas in the past seasons and I think Jorge will be strong there, so I will be watching for him.”

“We’ll be working on overcoming some of the issues we’ve had in the fast corners at circuits this year and we will certainly be looking for the win, or at the very least some more important championship points.”