Casey Stoner confident for Le Mans

Former world champion Casey Stoner is confident he can kickstart his 2010 MotoGP world title challenge in Le Mans this weekend. 

Stoner has yet to score a podium in the opening two races and the Australian has already fallen 34-points adrift of Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo in the early title hunt.

Stoner crashed out of the lead in Qatar last month and then could only steer his factory Ducati GP10 to fifth place in Jerez.  

The 24-year-old was plagued by front-end issues during the Jerez encounter and he is aware front-end feel is a crucial element to being competitive at the famous Le Mans circuit.

He said: “Because of the stop and go nature of the circuit at Le Mans you need a bike that is very stable on the brakes but also agile and quick in corner exit, especially in the slow sections.

“In the past we have usually managed to be fast and run at the front but we’ve never come away with the results that we would have liked. This year I think we can have higher expectations than the past two seasons there and we will certainly give our best to meet them.”

Stoner tested after the recent Spanish GP at Jerez and did his best to solve some of the front-end issues that saw him defeated by team-mate Nicky Hayden for the first time.

And he said he was more confident going into the third round of the campaign in France.

“I’m a lot more at ease. All weekend in Jerez I was closing the front but definitely at the end I felt a lot more comfortable with the front although we are still not exactly where we wanted to be. But for me to have a good solid test is unusual and we are pretty happy.

“Even last year when we looked fast in testing we knew better and when it came to the race we were there or thereabouts but still not quite enough. This year the Jerez test has been very good for us, but whether it helps for the rest of the season I don’t know.”