Since it was formally announced that Casey Stoner was moving to the Repsol Honda team for 2011, you got the feeling that it couldn’t come quick enough for Stoner. Well the time is nearly here, and Stoner will jump on his Ducati for the last time this weekend for the closing race in Valencia.

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden look ahead to this weekend’s action below:

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati MotoGP Team
“Time has flown past since Portugal. I went to Italy do some wind tunnel tests at Ducati and then we were back on the road to Spain. It has done me good to have a couple of days rest though because the crash on Friday left me with a knock on my back and it has been a bit painful. I’m okay now though and I can’t wait to get back out at Valencia, a circuit I love and a place that will always be special to me because I won the title here. Also the fact it’s the last race of the season, with so many people there packing out the grandstands… it just gives the whole event that little bit extra. I have been on the podium here twice in the past so we’ll try and do it again this Sunday.”

CASEY STONER, Ducati MotoGP Team
“After the awful weather we had to put up with in Portugal I hope that Valencia is a bit better and we get chance to work well and get a good set-up for my final race on the Ducati. I have always liked the circuit and I had my first ever win here in 125cc. It is a tight but flowing circuit and even though there are a lot of second and third gear corners they are banked and you can let the bike run, keeping some good speed up. This also helps you to find a gearbox setting quite quickly because apart from the straight, obviously, you only really need two gears. In the past we have always been able to find a good set-up so I we are confident. I really want to have a good race this weekend.”
 


VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager
“I really hope that at Valencia we get the conditions that allow everybody to work properly in all four sessions so that we can give Casey a bike and a setting that can give him the best possible chance to end our fantastic time together in positive fashion on Sunday. Our bike tends to work really well at this circuit and on Friday we’ll be starting out with a setting that we know has worked well for us and been competitive in the last few races. Both Casey and Nicky love the track and have had some great results there in the past so I think there’s a chance they could both be on the podium.”

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