Stoner digs in for late title showdown

MotoGP News
Date: 2/August/2011

Casey Stoner insists the 2011 MotoGP title is far from decided, despite heading for the mid-season break having won half of the ten races and holding a 20 point championship lead.

The only time the new Repsol Honda rider hasn't finished on the podium was after being knocked down-and-out during a misjudged pass by Valentino Rossi at Jerez.

Without that incident the Australian's advantage over Yamaha's reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo would be far higher, but he firmly rejects the idea that he already has one hand on his second world crown.

"It's nowhere near possible [yet]. This is my first win in three races. The championship is not over until it's over," said Stoner, a champion for Ducati in 2007.

"If I don’t fight as hard as I have been up to now then I've got no chance to win this championship. I've got competitors beside me [Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa] that are way too strong. We have to take it race-by-race and every race is going to be a lot of hard work.

"The championship lead can slip away in no time and then maybe we'll be the ones that are chasing. We just have to keep doing what we are doing, bring home points and podiums and - when the opportunity arises - wins."

Stoner's answer is hardly surprising. It would be extremely foolish, in a sport where six of the 17 riders have missed at least one race this year due to injury, to call a title lead of less than one race win decisive.

But Stoner has more than just points on his side. Due to the format of the calendar, the #27's most successful tracks tend to be grouped into the second part of the season.

Last year, as a Ducati rider, Stoner took all three of his 2010 race wins during the final six rounds and he also intends to use the summer break to regain fitness after hurting his neck in a practice crash at Assen.

"This break will help us a lot to recover and get ready for the rest of the season," he said.

Lorenzo, who has won two races this year, knows his options are limited:

"My strategy to beat Casey? It's difficult, or easy - depending on how you look at it! I just have to go as fast as I can. Even then it will be tough, but we will try until the end."

Eight races remain until the end of the 2011 season, starting with the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno on August 14.