Stoner considers quitting season
February 18, 2009
CASEY STONER has admitted his MotoGP season is in serious doubt due to continual pain in his wrist.
The 2007 world champion says that unless the wrist improves over the next fortnight his ability to contest the series will be under a cloud.
Stoner underwent an operation in November to repair an old injury to the wrist but says its movement is still hampered.
Remarkably, he set the fastest lap times in the first official test series, at Sepang in Malaysia earlier this month.
Last year's surgery was supposed to have resolved an ongoing scaphoid problem.
Stoner is pessimistic that his condition will improve before testing resumes on March 1.
"Three months have gone by and my wrist has little mobility and hurts badly," Stoner told MotoSprint magazine. "I don't like the way this story is going at all. I'll try not to think about it until the test in Qatar, then we'll see. If the situation in Qatar hasn't improved radically, then it means there will be plenty to worry about …
"I say that I shouldn't be in this situation, because the bone has healed, yet it hurts me badly. That's what I can't explain. It's been really disappointing finding out that after three months the wrist is a lot worse than I expected."
Stoner was unable to complete long runs at Sepang and was limited in his movement through some corners.
"I try to adapt, to change the way I sit on the bike," he said.
"I make some movements to make up for the fact that the wrist barely moves and most of all it hurts me a lot under braking. It feels almost unreal to me that I manage to be so quick."
February 18, 2009
CASEY STONER has admitted his MotoGP season is in serious doubt due to continual pain in his wrist.
The 2007 world champion says that unless the wrist improves over the next fortnight his ability to contest the series will be under a cloud.
Stoner underwent an operation in November to repair an old injury to the wrist but says its movement is still hampered.
Remarkably, he set the fastest lap times in the first official test series, at Sepang in Malaysia earlier this month.
Last year's surgery was supposed to have resolved an ongoing scaphoid problem.
Stoner is pessimistic that his condition will improve before testing resumes on March 1.
"Three months have gone by and my wrist has little mobility and hurts badly," Stoner told MotoSprint magazine. "I don't like the way this story is going at all. I'll try not to think about it until the test in Qatar, then we'll see. If the situation in Qatar hasn't improved radically, then it means there will be plenty to worry about …
"I say that I shouldn't be in this situation, because the bone has healed, yet it hurts me badly. That's what I can't explain. It's been really disappointing finding out that after three months the wrist is a lot worse than I expected."
Stoner was unable to complete long runs at Sepang and was limited in his movement through some corners.
"I try to adapt, to change the way I sit on the bike," he said.
"I make some movements to make up for the fact that the wrist barely moves and most of all it hurts me a lot under braking. It feels almost unreal to me that I manage to be so quick."
..... the field.
lease:
.
