Stoner looking for strong start in Qatar
Added on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Stoner looking for strong start in Qatar
Casey Stoner will be looking for a good start to the new MotoGP season this weekend as he looks to wrestle back the title from odds-on favourite Valentino Rossi.
The 2007 champion, who suffered from a terrible run of form and injury towards the end of last season, lost his crown to the Italian with several rounds still to go and is still reportedly struggling from pain in his troublesome wrist.
But the Ducati rider has performed well in pre-season testing so far this season, posting fastest times in Qatar, Jerez and Sepang during the winter and has a good record at Losail having won the last two Grand Prix’s at the circuit, wetting his appetite for the start of the new season.
“I’m leaving behind the end of the summer holidays in Australia but to tell you the truth I really can’t wait for the new season to start,” said the Australian.
“I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made together with the Ducati engineers behind the scenes and with the tests we’ve done out on the track. Everybody has worked really hard, the bike has improved in a variety of areas and it’s much easier to ride.
“The power delivery from the engine is better, the carbon frame has improved stability and I’m happy with the carbon swingarm too, even though we have only tried it in the last two tests and it still needs a little more work before we fully understand it.
“So testing has been positive but we know that racing is another story and we simply cannot afford to drop our guard at any point – we have to keep working hard to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes as last season, which we went into with too much confidence.
“Qatar is not a particularly exciting track, it is very flat, but it’s not too bad. We’re just hoping the temperature is higher than it was for the test.”
For the second season in a row, Stoner will be starting with a new Ducati teammate as former Honda factory rider Nicky Hayden sits astride the Desmosedici GP9 competitively for the first time.
Hayden, whose relationship with former teammate Dani Pedrosa and the Honda management ultimately led to his departure, made no secret of his desire to ride a faster bike last season and the American appears to have got his wish with the Ducati.
“It’s nice to be going racing again,” said the 2006 champion. “The season is starting out much later than usual this year even though we haven’t been doing much testing. To be honest with you I’d like to have had a little more time with the bike in preseason but this is what we’ve got to deal with and now it’s time to get serious.
“If I could have chosen anywhere to be making my debut on the Ducati I would have chosen Qatar, where we had a good test session a few weeks ago, so I guess I’m lucky in that respect! I can’t hide the fact that I’d like to be closer to the front than where we’re at right now and further down the road in terms of the work we’ve got to do with the team but I’m still really pleased that the season is starting because I love the races, I love racing and I love competing against those other guys.”
