MotoGP world champion aiming to conquer Jerez.
Last year's Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez was one of Casey Stoner's toughest events - a fifth place finish marking his joint worst result of the year in dry conditions - but the Ducati Marlboro star returns as the reigning MotoGP world champion and fresh from a dominant victory at the season-opening Qatar night race.
Stoner's team believe the 22-year-old is getting better and better and this weekend's event could prove just how much the Australian and his Bridgestone-shod Desmosedici have improved compared with one year ago.
Worryingly for the opposition, Stoner set the fastest lap in wet conditions during the Official Test at Jerez in February - when he also found excellent race pace in the dry – and was also fast at the November test, but went on to injure his shoulder, bringing a premature end to his 2007 track activities.
However, Stoner is not the type to reflect too much on past results - be they good or bad.
"You could say that Jerez last year wasn't one of our best races, but winter testing went well there and with the general improvements we've made since last year I think we can be competitive. We worked well with the Bridgestone technicians there and tested a lot of different types of tyre, so we should be well prepared to pick the right one for the race," declared Casey, whose Jerez result marked the first of just four times that he failed to finish on the podium in 2007.
"There are a lot of riders who have started the season strongly, especially the rookies, amongst them riders who will want more of the same and riders racing at home, so they'll be very motivated," admitted the Australian, referring to the strong debut rides by Jorge Lorenzo and James Toseland, plus the unexpected podium of Lorenzo's injured fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa. "We just have to try and make sure we do our job well and then try to achieve the best result possible."
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Last year's Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez was one of Casey Stoner's toughest events - a fifth place finish marking his joint worst result of the year in dry conditions - but the Ducati Marlboro star returns as the reigning MotoGP world champion and fresh from a dominant victory at the season-opening Qatar night race.
Stoner's team believe the 22-year-old is getting better and better and this weekend's event could prove just how much the Australian and his Bridgestone-shod Desmosedici have improved compared with one year ago.
Worryingly for the opposition, Stoner set the fastest lap in wet conditions during the Official Test at Jerez in February - when he also found excellent race pace in the dry – and was also fast at the November test, but went on to injure his shoulder, bringing a premature end to his 2007 track activities.
However, Stoner is not the type to reflect too much on past results - be they good or bad.
"You could say that Jerez last year wasn't one of our best races, but winter testing went well there and with the general improvements we've made since last year I think we can be competitive. We worked well with the Bridgestone technicians there and tested a lot of different types of tyre, so we should be well prepared to pick the right one for the race," declared Casey, whose Jerez result marked the first of just four times that he failed to finish on the podium in 2007.
"There are a lot of riders who have started the season strongly, especially the rookies, amongst them riders who will want more of the same and riders racing at home, so they'll be very motivated," admitted the Australian, referring to the strong debut rides by Jorge Lorenzo and James Toseland, plus the unexpected podium of Lorenzo's injured fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa. "We just have to try and make sure we do our job well and then try to achieve the best result possible."
crash.net