Stoner looking forward to Phillip Island

Second place in the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal was the perfect return to action for Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner, following a three-race absence due to illness.

Stoner rose from third on the grid to finish second in his first race since the British Grand Prix at Donington towards the end of July, as he closed the gap on Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa in the championship standings to just three points.

Now lying in fourth place overall, the 2007 MotoGP World Champion has enjoyed start-to-finish victories at Phillip Island over the last two years and his enthusiasm for what has proven to personally be a rich hunting ground is at its peak ahead of the weekend.

“I’m looking forward to Phillip Island,” said the 23 year-old. “In Portugal I was able to get to the end of the race weekend without problems, just the predictable tiredness after a full MotoGP race, following two months of inactivity. So maybe I’ll be a bit more ready for Phillip Island now. Besides that the temperature down there is a bit colder than other races we go to and that better suits my physical conditions at the moment.”

Stoner’s appreciation of the challenge Phillip Island presents, combined with his success in recent years, means he is preparing for another enjoyable race weekend on home soil.

“The track is awesome – it’s fast, flowing and there isn't really a section that the riders don’t enjoy,” he added. “Normally races are fantastic there. I've had a dream run over the last couple of years but this one is going to be a little different so we have just to wait and see what we can do.”