MotoGP News - Stoner Steals The Show In Spain
02/11/2007
Bridgestone’s new World Champion Casey Stoner kept the momentum up for the last race of the year, setting the pace in both morning and afternoon free practice sessions for Sunday’s season-closing Valencia GP.
The 22-year-old Australian tied up the title with three races to spare in Japan, but has no trouble in keeping his motivation sky high, in spite of a chipped bone in his back after a fall in practice for the Australian GP.
“Maybe it’s been a bit harder getting up in the morning between races, but when I get back to the track the excitement comes back,” he said. “On the bike, everything else leaves you. I love racing and I love riding the bike, so I’m just doing what I enjoy.”
Stoner was already fastest and close to the lap record, but his competitive spirit came out in his comment: “We will definitely be faster tomorrow.” He cited a technical reason, but would not go into details.
With Sylvain Guintoli (Yamaha) second-fastest, and Dani Pedrosa (Honda) third, the next Bridgestone runners filled fourth to seventh positions, with Marco Melandri (Honda) fastest, then Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) and Alex Barros (Ducati) next.
Bridgestone’s technicians also expect more speed tomorrow. “The basic problem today was a lack of grip. We expect track conditions to improve for the rest of the weekend,” explained Motorcycle Race Tyre Development Manager Junichi Kawajiri.