Stoner back on track for the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portu

[Akrapovic]

The Ducati Marlboro Team returns from a long September break this weekend ready to tackle the Estoril circuit with Casey Stoner back in the saddle alongside his team-mate Nicky Hayden.


The Italian outfit has been working hard on two fronts since the end of July, on one hand liasing with doctors in Australia monitoring the progress being made by Casey and on the other continuing exhaustive development of the Desmosedici, on which Nicky has been able to make great strides, culminating with his podium finish at Indianapolis and further signs of competitiveness at Misano before a blameless first lap crash.

During two months away from racing under the supervision of an expert medical team in his homeland (Dr. Neil Halpin, Sport Physician, Dr Jeremy Coleman, Consultant Physician, Dr Harry Grunstein, Endocrinologist and Professor Jonathan Silberberg, Cardiologist), who have remained in touch with Prof. Fabio Catani (Specialist in Pathology and Locomotive System at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute of Bologna and Ducati’s doctor for several years) and Dr Claudio Macchiagodena of the Clinica Mobile, Casey has undergone a series of exams and special tests.

The results of the tests have excluded pathological anomalies of cardiovascular, respiratory or neurological origins. The exams and inspections also failed to show up any kind of virus or infection.

However, the medical report made by Prof. Silderberg and Dr Coleman did reveal low blood pressure levels and a lack of sodium, the two factors that the doctors believe were the main cause of the physical problems that interrupted the season for the Ducati rider.

The doctors all agree that overtraining was the most common factor that showed up during the tests and that the after-effects of injuries and surgeries over the last few years were the cause of the physical weakness and exhaustion that the Australian began to suffer a few months ago.

The doctors also unanimously confirmed that their suggestion to stop Casey from racing at the end of July was absolutely necessary in order to avoid aggravating his physical debilitation.

Following the final medical examination that he underwent last week before leaving Australia, the doctors confirmed that whilst he was still not completely recovered, he is in better physical shape than he was in July and his weight is back up to 60kg, which is close to his ideal weight.

Casey will be back on track this weekend despite not being in peak condition and he will remain under medical supervision throughout, with a new sodium-rich diet aimed at raising his blood pressure and muscular functionality.

Casey Stoner
“I’m definitely looking forward to the race weekend. Having three races off is the biggest period away from racing in my life. It was very difficult to accept the advice of the doctors to stop racing. In the past I have raced even when injured, like in the last few races of the 2008 season when my wrist was broken, but this time it was really not possible and of course I felt very sorry for the team. Now I’m looking forward to getting back together with the team and everyone and I hope I’ll be able to be more competitive than I was in the past, but we will have to wait and see. The doctors have put me on some salt tablets to increase my sodium levels but we will have to see if it helps. We will understand more during the weekend. Of course it’s going to be difficult: at first we won’t know if it will work because I’ve been off the bike so long that in any case my muscles will take some time to get race fit again. But, as I said, I’m looking forward to getting back and to starting work on the bike, looking towards the future.”

Livio Suppo
“We are really pleased that Casey is back with us. We never had any doubt that he would be with us once again at Estoril. We know that he is still not in 100% peak fitness and we just hope that over the last four races of the season he can gradually build his strength and work with Nicky to help Filippo develop the bike. With that goal in mind we have a few new things to try this weekend, in particular a new fairing which is designed to make the bike handle better in strong winds and fast direction changes. I really hope Nicky’s luck turns around after Misano because his season has got gradually better and I’m sure he’ll keep that trend going this weekend.”

Press release courtesy of Ducati Marlboro

[al]

Good to hear he's on the mend and should be back racing.

60kg?!?!?!?!

[Coddy]

Yet rumour are still he might quit end of the season.

Marlboro are demanding an appology from him for not racing due to an upset stumoch, stating that worker in their Italian cigarette plant would not have 3 months off due to this. So looks like they are fed up of his whinging.

[steve]

im finding it amazing that so many folks seem to forget that whenever Stoner had a good wknd (ie: a win or a podium) there was never any mention of old injuries or sore tummies , the excuses only seemed to appear whenever things didnt go his way

i used to think Sete moanernaus excuses were pathetic until Stoner chucked his teddy bear out of his pram when he realised last year he was going to loose his world crown

Stoner is a hell of a racer an i would never say he aint , i feel he needs to learn to take defeat better

i dont recall Rossi making pathetic excuses in 2006 + 2007 when things werent going right for him , he took his bad results on the chin an worked as hard as he could with what Yamaha/Michelin gave him to try an make things better

[doogle]

im finding it amazing that so many folks seem to forget that whenever Stoner had a good wknd (ie: a win or a podium) there was never any mention of old injuries or sore tummies , the excuses only seemed to appear whenever things didnt go his way

i used to think Sete moanernaus excuses were pathetic until Stoner chucked his teddy bear out of his pram when he realised last year he was going to loose his world crown

Stoner is a hell of a racer an i would never say he aint , i feel he needs to learn to take defeat better

i dont recall Rossi making pathetic excuses in 2006 + 2007 when things werent going right for him , he took his bad results on the chin an worked as hard as he could with what Yamaha/Michelin gave him to try an make things better

i agree with you there steve. stonner is like some of the people on here. allway bubbling about something. needs to grow up

[al]

I still can't get my head round the comment about getting back UP to 60kg!! That's just over 9 stone!

I'm having to work hard at the moment to keep to my fighting weight of 80kg but that's 20kg lighter . I'm assuming that MotoGP don't do a combined weighing of the bike and rider like they do in F1?

Big Kneed Al (master of the emergency stop & "stand up" comedian).

[doogle]

I still can't get my head round the comment about getting back UP to 60kg!! That's just over 9 stone!

I'm having to work hard at the moment to keep to my fighting weight of 80kg but that's 20kg lighter . I'm assuming that MotoGP don't do a combined weighing of the bike and rider like they do in F1?

Big Kneed Al (master of the emergency stop & "stand up" comedian)(master of the known universe).

wish i was 80kg. fat chance of me being that

[al]

wish i was 80kg. fat chance of me being that

Pun of the day!

[al]

What a ride from Stoner at the Malaysian GP today!

[Zax]

If he had riden as hard all through the race he would have ended up 30 seconds + ahead of the field ...

He was the length of the straight ahead of everyone else and that is about half a mile (after backing off)

Superb wet weather ride.

Next season is going to be good

[Yamahahaha]

I had the GP on my Sky+ planner, but due to the rain delay they moved the end of the race to BBC2 so I missed it. Going to watch it on Eurosport later.

[Gazza]

Casey has always been a class act in the wet. Shame about Jorge having to come from the back. Maybe he would have gone after him, based upon his need to win.

[coullstar]

Casey has always been a class act in the wet. Shame about Jorge having to come from the back. Maybe he would have gone after him, based upon his need to win.

I think that would have ended in tears though as he had no repsonse to Rossi when he passed him.

[Gazza]

Probably, but it would have been fun to watch.

The 250 race was an absolute stormer btw. Aoyama rode a fantastic race under severe pressure for a while from Simoncelli. Plenty of aggressive overtaking and Babera took a photo second right on the line. Great stuff.

Missed the 125s

[cbr1100]

The 250's was a cracking race. Stoner did a great job, wish people would stop slagging him off, he lost the plot for a couple of months due to stress and ended up unfit. Think about it, there is no one rides the Ducati like stoner apart from Troy bayliss when he was in WSB, the pressure on him from the team and sponsors must be horrendous being the champion, they expect nothing tbut the same in the next year and after a couple of non winning races, well you can imagine the Sh1t he was getting....... Its business not sport remember......
Jorge is saving himself for next year, didn't want a final race injury, last thing he needed......He'll need to be fit for the likes of Spies, and the others next year......can't wait for next season.....