Ducati’s Casey Stoner at the Halfway Mark of 2010 Grand Prix MotoGP Season
Casey Stoner is amongst the only few riders participating in the 2010 season who have won a championship in Premier Class before, the MotoGP World Champion title in 2007. Apart from him, only Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden have done it. Therefore, he has the credentials to challenge anyone on the track, whereas his bike, Ducati, has been showing good pace and stability as well.
However, the season did not start well for the Australian, as he made many mistakes during his early races. This season, he was unable to get support from his bike, as its superiority has been reduced to a great extent. However, towards the end of the first half, Stoner was able to get something out of the races. The most important thing for the rider and his team is a series of consistent performances towards the midway mark. However, the rider is still searching for his first win of the year, for which he would have to work hard, especially seeing that he’s pitted against the likes of Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi.
The season has been average, so far, for the Australian. Currently, he’s perched on the fourth spot in the championship table, with a gap of 107 points from the leader. Also, he got this spot after an injury blow to Rossi, who missed four Grand Prix races in a row, and is currently in the fifth spot. So, it can be said that the current season has not been favourable for the former champion, or at least it is well below his own expectations.
Qatar is Stoner’s favourite track, as he has won three races in a row under floodlights. This season, he was again in his top form, as he was leading the two practice sessions and the qualifying round as well. However, this domination did not last long, as his dreams of a fourth win were crushed after he crashed his bike during the race. The second race at Jerez was again hard for the Australian, as he had to be content with only a fifth place finish. In the third race at Le Mans, bike problems arose, due to which Stoner was unable to score any points from the race. Throughout the race, Stoner was having trouble with the balance of Ducati, as the front end kept on troubling him.
At Mugello, Stoner again failed to get his first podium of the season, as he only managed to get a fourth position. Again in Assen, the bike had its problems, which resulted in only a fifth place finish for the Australian. However, after that race, the Ducati team worked hard to do the necessary adjustments. Therefore, after Silverstone, a period of consistency began, which continued till the end of the first half of the 2010 season.
Stoner was able to get a third place, and his first podium finish of 2010, in Assen. After that, he was able to get another third place finish at Silverstone. In Sachsenring, he was again third, but this time he was made to work hard for his podium place. Valentino Rossi, after his return from injury, gave a tough time to the Australian, and he only managed to get his third place on the last corner of the track.
The last race, at Laguna Seca, proved to be the best for Casey Stoner, as he managed to get a second place finish. However, he was assisted by a crash from Dani Pedrosa, who was leading the race at that moment. Nonetheless, the rider is moving in right direction, and it seems as though the latter half of the season would be stronger than before.
During the first half of the season, Casey Stoner also made headlines, as he decided to join HRC for the 2011 Season. However, this has made the rider more focused, as he would like to finish strong, on his current bike, for the rest of the season. Therefore, we should expect Stoner to win a few races in the latter part of the MotoGP season.
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