Casey Stoner

Casey Stoner proud despite heavy title loss
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

22 October 2008 09:29


Aussie Casey Stoner reckons he is still proud of his achievements in the 2008 MotoGP world title race, even though he goes into the final race trailing Valentino Rossi by over 100-points.

Stoner has still been in superlative form at times during 2008, and he goes into this weekend’s season finale having won five races.

The 23-year-old said he would look back on ’08 with pride, despite his title hopes being blown by costly crashes in successive races in Brno and Misano.

"The last race tends to make you reflect on the whole season and I think we can be proud of ourselves, even though there have been highs and lows. We didn't win the championship but we fought hard for it, making up and then losing a lot of ground, staying together through all of it and always giving our best.

"We'll try to keep that going at Valencia, a track I have always liked because even though it is tight and twisty it does flow well, with some long corners where you can keep the speed of the bike up. Valencia is also the place where I took my first victory and where I rode the Ducati for the very first time back in 2006.”

Stoner is also hoping for an easier ride than he got in last weekend’s Sepang sauna in Malaysia. He struggled badly with the left wrist he needs an operation on imminently, and he’s hoping he will be fit to test Ducati’s new GP9 after the final race.

“We'll ride the GP9 on the day after the race and I really can't wait for that. I hope the wrist doesn't give me the same problems I had at Sepang so that I can be in shape for a good race on Sunday and two solid days of testing on Monday and Tuesday, “said Stoner.

those need to be posted over and over and over in a row
it will looking like he is a cartoon character just rolling away
lol

LOL, i love the one of Mrs Moaner LOL
All the pictures are cherring me up, and just making me laugh and laugh
The big question is, will he race at Valencia, I rekon he will, cause Ducati want to get 2nd in the constructors, amd he wants to test
So...........................????????????????

ewwwwwwww @ them kissing blurgh

Not nice @ them kissing
Although they do make a good couple, Miserable and moody!!

Stoner expecting return to full training in under three months
Wednesday, 26 November 2008

In attendance at Jerez, Australian reviews bone graft surgery on scaphoid injury.



Ducati rider Casey Stoner was present in his team´s garage on Wednesday afternoon in Jerez, although the Australian is a long way away from participating in any Official Test activity after surgery on his left wrist. Stoner flew into southern Spain to aid new teammate Nicky Hayden and the Ducati crew with their development of the Desmosedici GP9, used by all of the Italian factory´s riders on the opening day of the test.

Stoner arrived from Modena, Italy, where he had undertaken an X-ray to assess his recovery after the operation carried out a fortnight ago. The grizzly details of the scaphoid fracture, a `reoccurrence´ of a previous injury, were made apparent when doctors performed the surgery, with Stoner explaining that a bone graft had to be taken from his hip during the procedure.

`There was a bit of bone that had been floating around in there for a while, and the Doctor could just pull it out –that´s how loose it was,´ said the 22 year-old, who is still around two weeks away from being able to start light training.

When the 2007 MotoGP World Champion is able to throw himself back into full training, the workload will be an intensive one. That is likely to come in 2.5/3 month´s time, with a lot of catching up to do before the first test of 2009.

`I´m 99% certain that I will be riding at Sepang, although I doubt that it would be at full fitness,´ Stoner admits, although some pressure has been taken off his shoulders by the sharing of developmental duties.

`This is probably the longest period I´ve gone without riding a bike at all since I was three years old! It is good to watch the bikes on track together with my engineers and then speak about it with Filippo (Preziosi) and Nicky, to share our feelings and see what we can do to improve our machine for next season.

`We´re not going to change a heck of a lot with the bike; we´ll wait on Nicky and the others for information and there´s not too much that a small factory like us can change anyway. In Valencia myself and Nicky were both fastest on two different days in different conditions, so that shows that we´ve got a good bike already.´

MotoGP » Stoner a spectator at Jerez.
Wednesday, 26th November 2008

Casey Stoner present at Jerez test, as a spectator.

Casey Stoner may be unable to ride a MotoGP machine until next year, due to recent wrist surgery, but that didn't stop the 2007 world champion being present at Jerez on Wednesday.

The Australian has remained in Europe for the first phase of his recovery from an operation on his left wrist on the 30th October, and was keen to link up with his Ducati team at the test, albeit as a spectator.

An x-ray on the joint carried out in Modena yesterday was positive and Stoner will be able to start light training in around two weeks' time.

[color=indigo]I hope Stoner the Moaner lightens up this year.

He’s a really talented rider he just lets himself down with his attitude and lack of humour!! I think he’s going to be a good rider this year, I think he hates to loose and he’ll come back better and faster

I honestly think vale is going to have to watch out this year, anyone else agree? [/color]

yeah but it wont be from stoner
i think nicky

I really hope Stoner is up to pace next year, I want to see more of the Laguna battles between him and Vale!

Casey Stoner reveals small op complication
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

01 December 2008 11:42


Former world champion Casey Stoner has revealed his recent wrist operation was hit by a small complication as he continues his long and slow rehabilitation.

The Aussie, who was a surprise visitor to last week’s Jerez test, is currently recuperating from a bone graft operation he needed to repair a troublesome scaphoid injury that flared up last season.

Get all the latest MotoGP news
Stoner’s operation should have taken two hours, but in fact took double the time after the complication, which saw a drilling tool break off.

The factory Ducati rider told MCN: “They took the bone from my right hip, only about a centimetre piece because the scaphoid is a very small bone. I’m not sure how long the operation took but there was a very small complication where a tool broke off, so they had to get that out.

"I’m told it is quite normal when they are drilling. I think it took about four hours. It should have taken around two but it ended up taking four hours. And now the most frustrating thing is the recovery is very much a slow process.”

Read all about Stoner’s recovery and get all the news from the Jerez test in this week’s MCN, out on Wednesday, December 3.

MotoGP » Guintoli: Stoner understood something we didn't!
Monday, 8th December 2008

Sylvain Guintoli gives credit to Casey Stoner; believes four-stroke replacement for 250GP is a good idea.


Former Alice Ducati MotoGP rider Sylvain Guintoli has refused to blame the Italian factory for his tough 2008 season, and credits Ducati's 2007 world champion Casey Stoner for his success with the Desmosedici.

Guintoli, who will move to BSB next season, took a best finish of sixth on his way to 13th in the 2008 MotoGP World Championship - his second year in the premier grand prix class - while factory star Stoner claimed six wins, eleven podiums, nine poles and nine fastest laps on his way to second position.

But Sylvain was far from the only rider to struggle with the GP8 - Stoner's factory team-mate Marco Melandri took a best finish of just fifth and was only 17th in the championship.

Guintoli's team-mate Toni Elias was the only other Ducati rider to finish on the podium this season, twice, but the Spaniard's next best result outside of that was only seventh. Previously, during Stoner's title winning season, MotoGP veterans Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros had also failed to replicate the young Australian's excellent results.

Elias recently criticised the level of support from Ducati this year, but - during a special Q&A with Crash.net viewers - Guintoli flatly refused to blame the Italian factory and gave Stoner credit for understanding 'something about his bike that lots of riders can't'.

"Everyone in MotoGP relies a lot on electronics," said Guintoli, in answer to a question about the amount of electronics used by Stoner. "Casey is fast first because he is very talented and second because he obviously understood something about his bike that lots of other riders can't (me included!). More traction control doesn't make faster lap times; it's all a question of balance and confidence of the rider."

Looking at his own future Guintoli, who doesn't believe "anyone is gifted a GP ride without being worthy of it", insists that his switch to BSB will make him stronger.

"BSB is a very strong championship, and so I believe that should I go to WSBK or back to GP in the future, I will be a stronger rider because of my BSB experience," said Sylvain, who will ride for 2004 BSB champion's Crescent Suzuki.

As well as two seasons in MotoGP, Guintoli also spent five years in the 250cc World Championship, taking a best championship placing of ninth (2006) and a best race finish of third (2003).

The 250cc two-stroke class will be replaced by 600cc four-stroke machines from 2011, something Guintoli thinks is a good move.

"It's a good change. Different constructors will take part and I think 'Junior Teams' will start to appear," he said.

On the question of how MotoGP could be made more exciting, Guintoli stated that "the [single] tyre rule might help."