Catalunya MotoGP: Illness blunts Casey Stoner challenge

A serious stomach bug cost Casey Stoner his chance to pose a greater threat to Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in today’s epic Catalunya MotoGP race.

The Aussie started the 25-lap race in searing temperatures that nudged 40 degrees having kept his stomach bug a secret.

The 23-year-old had spent a sleepless night on Saturday night and came home in a distant third place, fending off a persistent challenge from Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso.

There had seemed little wrong with the 2007 world champion as he closely monitored Rossi and Lorenzo’s scrap in front of him until lap eight, when the punishing heat and the debilitating affect of the stomach bug started to take its toll.

He gradually lost contact with the Fiat Yamaha duo and rode heroically in the second half of the race to keep Dovizioso at bay, the Italian having to settle for fourth for the third race in succession.

Stoner said: “I’m kind of disappointed because on Friday everything started off pretty well, we had a small crash but the bike felt good.

“And then Saturday we really struggled with the bike. It was way too far off the pace to even be competitive. For the race we changed a few things and it made a big improvement.

“The bike was there, but I’ve been slowly getting a little sore and a little sicker each day. We weren’t really that sick before the race, just yesterday afternoon I started to feel tired.

“But this morning after warm-up I felt, after just a few laps, I was completely destroyed, like I did one and a half races.

“And after warm-up this morning I was cramping and having all sorts of problems after a cool warm-up and not too many laps.

“So I was really afraid to finish this race and we did everything we could to prepare for it. But halfway through I gave up, I was absolutely dead and I had nothing left, so I decided just to try and run around to get points.

“I managed to keep braking late to keep Andrea behind me. And the last two laps I put a bit more effort in.”

Despite his problems, Stoner’s podium moved him to 106-points, level with Fiat Yamaha duo Rossi and Lorenzo in what is shaping up to be one of the most exiciting title scraps for years.