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MotoGP
MOTOGP: Stoner: Expect No Fairy Tales
Retiring MotoGP legend Casey Stoner is still hurting heading into his final race.
Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner (Photo: Evan Williams)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Grand Prix of Valencia will air LIVE on SPEED on Sunday, November 11 at 7:00am ET. MotoGP QP will air LIVE on SPEED2 all season long. #MotoGPonSPEED
Casey Stoner doubts there will be fairytale ending to his MotoGP career in Sunday's Valencia Grand Prix. Stoner is increasingly troubled by his right ankle injury which he says has not responded well to a punishing schedule since his comeback from surgery in Japan last month. Valencia will be Stoner's fourth race in five weeks and the prospect of wet and tricky conditions here has Stoner admitting he will take no risks. A repeat of his stunning victory in his home race at Phillip Island, his sixth in a row, is unlikely unless conditions are sunny and dry.
"The win in Australia was something special and I'm not expecting that result at this circuit," Stoner said after qualifying third behind Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo.
"I am not willing to risk a huge injury in wet conditions because you don't even need to make a mistake and you can crash so the risk is much, much higher. "In the dry I have feeling and can understand what is going on but at this track it is not the best."
Stoner mangled the ligaments in his right ankle at Indianapolis in August and has made a remarkable return highlighted by his Australian GP win.
"Since I came back in Japan, everything has slowly been getting worse, I haven't had any time off my ankle, no time to recover, and then straight back on the bike week after week," he said. "It has put me back a lot although on the bike it is not that much worse, it is when I get off the bike and put weight on my heel it kills me. "As soon as this race is done it will be fine but it shouldn't be any worse on the bike here."
Stoner will make his 115th MotoGP start in Valencia before turning his back on the sport. He has won 38 of those races and two world tiles. His pessimism in advance of his final race is backed by a forecast of rain and miserable weather. While confirming that he will race no matter the conditions, Stoner admitted that he was "nervous" in the treacherous conditions at the recent rain lashed Malaysian GP.
Casey Stoner doubts there will be fairytale ending to his MotoGP career in Sunday's Valencia Grand Prix. Stoner is increasingly troubled by his right ankle injury which he says has not responded well to a punishing schedule since his comeback from surgery in Japan last month. Valencia will be Stoner's fourth race in five weeks and the prospect of wet and tricky conditions here has Stoner admitting he will take no risks. A repeat of his stunning victory in his home race at Phillip Island, his sixth in a row, is unlikely unless conditions are sunny and dry.
"The win in Australia was something special and I'm not expecting that result at this circuit," Stoner said after qualifying third behind Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo.
"I am not willing to risk a huge injury in wet conditions because you don't even need to make a mistake and you can crash so the risk is much, much higher. "In the dry I have feeling and can understand what is going on but at this track it is not the best."
Stoner mangled the ligaments in his right ankle at Indianapolis in August and has made a remarkable return highlighted by his Australian GP win.
"Since I came back in Japan, everything has slowly been getting worse, I haven't had any time off my ankle, no time to recover, and then straight back on the bike week after week," he said. "It has put me back a lot although on the bike it is not that much worse, it is when I get off the bike and put weight on my heel it kills me. "As soon as this race is done it will be fine but it shouldn't be any worse on the bike here."
Stoner will make his 115th MotoGP start in Valencia before turning his back on the sport. He has won 38 of those races and two world tiles. His pessimism in advance of his final race is backed by a forecast of rain and miserable weather. While confirming that he will race no matter the conditions, Stoner admitted that he was "nervous" in the treacherous conditions at the recent rain lashed Malaysian GP.
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