Stoner keen to keep on form
Added on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Stoner keen to keep on form
Casey Stoner is planning to keep his strong form going to the final flag of the season this weekend as he looks to cement third position in the rider’s championship.
Stoner has claimed 70 points out of a possible 75 since returning from a three-round lay-off due to illness, with wins in Phillip Island and a fortnight ago in Sepang and the Australian is planning to continue that form into the final round as he builds for another assault on the title in 2010.
“Valencia is a circuit I’ve always liked – it is tight and slow but surprisingly flowing and I think it’s a good circuit for a MotoGP bike,” said Stoner. “Apart from anything it is a great viewing spectacle for the fans, who can follow the bikes around practically the whole circuit. My Ducati has always run really well there and I’ve been on the pace for the past couple of seasons – in testing and in the races – so obviously we’re hoping that trend continues, even though we will have to make a few small adjustments to the bike.
“We’re finally at the end of the season and already looking forward to the next one, so if we can win this race then great, if not we’ll try and finish the year with a podium and then start working towards next year.”
Team manager Livio Suppo was also in good spirits and was hoping to see both Stoner and Nicky Hayden on the rostrum at the season end.
“Valencia has always been a good place for our team and I hope it is again this year,” said Suppo. “Casey and Nicky both go well here and my dream would be to see them on the podium together in what would be a wonderful way to finish 2009. They deserve it, as does everybody at Ducati Corse. We’ve had some good moments and some difficult ones over the course of this season but in both cases we have just continued to do our job, giving our maximum at all times and I think that the results in the last two races are the proof that our motto of “never give up” always pays off.”
