Stoner full of confidence for rest of ?11

Casey Stoner says he is feeling extremely confident not just about the MotoGP season-opener but the whole year ahead, having carried his superb testing and practice form through to qualifying in Qatar. In his first race weekend as a works Honda rider, Stoner beat his team-mate Dani Pedrosa to pole having already been fastest in all three practice sessions. But having won at Losail for three straight years from 2007 to 2009, Stoner said he had been optimistic about this circuit anyway - and it was his likely form at Jerez and beyond that really excited him.

Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard Divina Galica