MotoGP news
Stoner battles to third
14 June 2009 / Results / PhotosWhilst Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo fought a fantastic battle for victory to the final corner, Ducati rider Casey Stoner had to fight his own battle against illness to secure a priceless third place. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider was so debilitated by stomach cramps that he was barely able to sleep last night and at the halfway stage of the race today he considered something that for him is unthinkable - giving up.
Speaking about his race Stoner said: "I haven't felt in great shape all weekend - I wasn't ill but I wasn't quite myself. Then last night I couldn't sleep, I probably got a couple of hours at the most, and after just a couple of laps this morning I was destroyed. I decided to race myself, basically, and bring home as many points as I could manage but my bike was fantastic and that is why I was able to ride it to a really valuable podium.
"The team did a perfect job after the warm-up and if I wasn't so ill, I think I could have stayed with Valentino and Jorge until the end, although I'm not saying I could have beaten them. I started to suffer from really strong cramps and I could barely ride - I was falling over the front of the bike in the hard-braking areas and I was struggling to keep my concentration. I thought about stopping but decided to just back off for a while and try to hang on for a top ten. The bike was so good that I was able to keep up a decent pace and hold off Dovizioso.
"Tonight I'll try to get plenty of rest and recover my strength for the test tomorrow because this is an important period in the championship and we need to test. After that it's Assen and I'm already looking forward to it."
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