Casey Stoner says he remains fully committed to solving Ducati's current problems even though he will leave the team at the end of 2010, and is not paying any attention to future employer Honda's strong form. Ducati has yet to win a race this year, while Stoner's future Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa scored his third victory of the season at Indianapolis last weekend and dominated ahead of his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso in Friday practice at Misano today.
Casey Stoner put his lack of speed in Friday practice at Misano down to having missed the event in 2009. Last year's San Marino Grand Prix was one of three races that Stoner sat out as he recovered from an illness that had hampered his performance for much of the season.
Misano practice pacesetter Dani Pedrosa said he was taking nothing for granted this weekend despite dominating the Friday session. Honda rider Pedrosa, who won at Indianapolis last weekend, was 0.6 seconds faster than the rest of the pack in Italy today, with his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso next up ahead of the Yamahas. "It's been really a good start here in Misano compared to last year and I'm very happy about that," he said.
World championship leader Jorge Lorenzo admitted he was struggling for confidence in his Yamaha after ending Friday practice at Misano nearly seven tenths of a second away from Dani Pedrosa's pace.
Dani Pedrosa dominated the opening free practice session at Misano, ending the afternoon six tenths of a second clear of the field.
Casey Stoner says he has no concerns about finishing the 2010 with no wins, as he feels he is riding as well as ever. The Ducati rider, the 2007 world champion, has finished on the podium five times this year, but has been unable to climb on the top step so far. Despite the lack of results, however, Stoner says he has been very happy with his performances.
Valentino Rossi is hopeful of making a step forward in performance in this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix - even though he concedes that the physical demands of Misano are not ideal for him. The Italian is still getting himself back to full fitness after breaking his leg in a crash at Mugello earlier this year – and he has endured mixed fortunes since he returned to action at the Sachsenring. And on the back of a fairly difficult time in Indianapolis – where he slipped down to fourth in the race following three crashes over the weekend – Rossi is not predicting anything being rapidly different this time out.
Casey Stoner wants a strong result at this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix in order to banish the memories of a dismal race at Indianapolis. The Ducati rider crashed out of sixth place at Indy after losing the front end of his GP10 machine over a bump on the infield. But he believes that a return to Europe - and a Misano track at which he won on his way to the 2007 world title – can help improve his fortunes