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MotoGP
MOTOGP: Stoner Targets Wins, Not Team Orders
Casey Stoner won't know the status of his mending ankle until he actually rides, but if competitive, expect the retiring champion to ride his own race.
Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner (Photo: Dorna Communications)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Grand Prix of Japan from Motegi, Japan will air on SPEED on Sunday, October 14 at 6:00pm ET. MotoGP QP will air LIVE on SPEED2 all season long. #MotoGPonSPEED
Casey Stoner says he does not expect Honda to invoke team orders and ask him to assist Dani Pedrosa's MotoGP Championship campaign.
In any case, Stoner feels that it is impossible to judge his fitness level -- and whether he can even be a contender for race wins -- after being away for eight weeks. That assessment will be a lot clearer after Friday's practice sessions at Motegi when Stoner is back on his factory Repsol Honda RC213V for the first time in eight weeks.
Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix marks Stoner's return after missing three races while recovering from surgery to repair severe ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury was sustained during qualifying for the Indianapolis GP and 24 hours later he rode to a courageous fourth-place finish in a race won by Pedrosa.
In Stoner's absence, Pedrosa has won three races but is still 33 points adrift of Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo with just four races remaining.
There is no doubt Stoner will target race wins before he retires in November, but he regards the title as now a matter between Pedrosa and Lorenzo.
"Honda haven't asked me (to help Pedrosa) and I don't believe they will," Stoner said in Motegi. "And as I have always said, championships are won fair and square, not because of a teammate helping you. As far as I know there will be none of that."
And for his part Pedrosa says he has no intention of asking for any assistance from Stoner.
Seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi agrees that Stoner's mindset will be fixed on winning races before his final MotoGP outing at Valencia in November.
"I think that Stoner's return doesn't make a lot of difference in the fight for the championship between Dani and Jorge," Rossi said. "For sure Stoner wants to win a race and does not want to play for Pedrosa, plus at the end of the championship Stoner will stop.
"At Valencia maybe he could do something, but before Valencia Stoner will make his own race.
"Now it looks like Pedrosa and Honda are a little faster than Lorenzo and Yamaha but 33 points is quite a lot. But anyway with four races to go the championship is not finished."
Lorenzo is on 290 points to Pedrosa on 257.
Stoner admits that until he rides again it is difficult to judge his fitness six weeks after surgery.
"No one knows… the doctors don't know what your body will do and each person's body is different. I won't know what to expect until I ride tomorrow," Stoner said. "It is okay walking around on my ankle but the pressures of going through riding and change of direction is completely different. At home I couldn't do a lot. There was a lot of sitting around, I had to go everywhere on crutches.
"But it is really good to be back; I didn't want to finish my last season with injury and sitting out some races and not having shot at the championship. That is the disappointing part.
"But now I'm here to do the best job I can until the end of the season. I feel good and fresh so we'll see how I get on with the bike tomorrow.
"Dani and Jorge have been doing the best job they can, and Dani got quite unlucky in Misano. But the same thing happened earlier in the season with Jorge at Assen. Let's see how it pans out."
As Stoner notes both Pedrosa and Lorenzo are equal on friendly fire this season. Lorenzo was innocently taken out by fellow Spaniard Alvaro Bautista at the Dutch TT while Pedrosa suffered a similar fate courtesy of Hector Barbera in the San Marino GP.
Casey Stoner says he does not expect Honda to invoke team orders and ask him to assist Dani Pedrosa's MotoGP Championship campaign.
In any case, Stoner feels that it is impossible to judge his fitness level -- and whether he can even be a contender for race wins -- after being away for eight weeks. That assessment will be a lot clearer after Friday's practice sessions at Motegi when Stoner is back on his factory Repsol Honda RC213V for the first time in eight weeks.
Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix marks Stoner's return after missing three races while recovering from surgery to repair severe ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury was sustained during qualifying for the Indianapolis GP and 24 hours later he rode to a courageous fourth-place finish in a race won by Pedrosa.
In Stoner's absence, Pedrosa has won three races but is still 33 points adrift of Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo with just four races remaining.
There is no doubt Stoner will target race wins before he retires in November, but he regards the title as now a matter between Pedrosa and Lorenzo.
"Honda haven't asked me (to help Pedrosa) and I don't believe they will," Stoner said in Motegi. "And as I have always said, championships are won fair and square, not because of a teammate helping you. As far as I know there will be none of that."
And for his part Pedrosa says he has no intention of asking for any assistance from Stoner.
Seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi agrees that Stoner's mindset will be fixed on winning races before his final MotoGP outing at Valencia in November.
"I think that Stoner's return doesn't make a lot of difference in the fight for the championship between Dani and Jorge," Rossi said. "For sure Stoner wants to win a race and does not want to play for Pedrosa, plus at the end of the championship Stoner will stop.
"At Valencia maybe he could do something, but before Valencia Stoner will make his own race.
"Now it looks like Pedrosa and Honda are a little faster than Lorenzo and Yamaha but 33 points is quite a lot. But anyway with four races to go the championship is not finished."
Lorenzo is on 290 points to Pedrosa on 257.
Stoner admits that until he rides again it is difficult to judge his fitness six weeks after surgery.
"No one knows… the doctors don't know what your body will do and each person's body is different. I won't know what to expect until I ride tomorrow," Stoner said. "It is okay walking around on my ankle but the pressures of going through riding and change of direction is completely different. At home I couldn't do a lot. There was a lot of sitting around, I had to go everywhere on crutches.
"But it is really good to be back; I didn't want to finish my last season with injury and sitting out some races and not having shot at the championship. That is the disappointing part.
"But now I'm here to do the best job I can until the end of the season. I feel good and fresh so we'll see how I get on with the bike tomorrow.
"Dani and Jorge have been doing the best job they can, and Dani got quite unlucky in Misano. But the same thing happened earlier in the season with Jorge at Assen. Let's see how it pans out."
As Stoner notes both Pedrosa and Lorenzo are equal on friendly fire this season. Lorenzo was innocently taken out by fellow Spaniard Alvaro Bautista at the Dutch TT while Pedrosa suffered a similar fate courtesy of Hector Barbera in the San Marino GP.
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