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Late set-up change saved race for Stoner

After finishing third in the Czech MotoGP at Brno, Casey Stoner is convinced that a last-minute set-up adjustment saved his race, despite the Australian former world champion trailing significantly behind runaway championship leader Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

He mentioned that the race outcome might have been different had he not opted for a set-up change on the grid prior to the event.

“Honestly, we felt that the setting was relatively good at the end of qualifying yesterday and we weren’t too far off,” he stated. “This morning’s warm-up was crucial for tweaking a few things to ensure we were heading in the right direction.”

“The wet warm-up, unfortunately, threw us off course. As I approached the grid for the race, I decided to make a minor adjustment to the rear to alleviate some weight from the front, and I’m fortunate I made that choice; in the race’s early stages, we had too much weight on the front, causing me to struggle with losing the front in several corners.”

“However, I noticed that Andrea Dovizioso’s crash and other incidents showed they faced similar issues, so…”

Stoner, who is set to join the factory Honda team in 2011, expressed that his aim remains to bring Ducati back to the top of the podium before his departure at season’s end.

“We did all we could this weekend; it started off slowly for us, but we gradually regained our pace and ended up in a spot that has been common for us lately,” he remarked. “I still aspire to be in the front, battling it out, but currently, we are not at the required level, so both the team and I will continue working hard.”

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