Our Man Advised To Cool It At Heatwave Japanese Grand Prix
Sun Herald
Sunday September 23, 2007
CASEY Stoner has raced to dominance of the MotoGP world championship with speed and maturity but he has been told to stay cool on the eve of today's Japanese Grand Prix.
The pressure atmosphere of a possible title-deciding race has not been helped by heatwave conditions and an early clash between Stoner and Carlos Checa. Stoner does not have to win in Japan to claim the title, just hold his 76-point advantage over Valentino Rossi, whose Yamaha engine exploded in practice. But Stoner's feud with Checa erupted again, with Stoner lashing out at the Spanish veteran who baulked the 21-year-old Australian in early practice. Stoner chastised Checa with a one-finger salute and waved his fist, clearly annoyed. It is not the first time he has criticised Checa's tactics. "This was a very close moment. I didn't know where to go to brake, left or right, and for a guy with so much experience it's disappointing Checa keeps getting in the way," Stoner said. MotoGP race director Paul Butler said he had taken the Aussie aside for a quiet word after the incident. "I just told Casey to cool it and not react like this, just be ready to enjoy the championship when it comes." Stoner's all-conquering Ducati GP7 is favourite and he says: "Why be nervous? There are four races to go and I want to win some of them, but it's race by race for me. The championship will take care of itself and I don't care where I win it."
© 2007 Sun Herald