Stoner happy with Rossi

Casey Stoner says he was delighted when he heard that seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi had extended his Yamaha contract until the end of 2008– because he wants to beat the Italian!

Stoner is one of a new breed of young MotoGP riders who want to pit their skills against the factory Yamaha rider.

He said: “I was definitely happy when I heard he was staying. It was pretty nice to know that the class will stay as it is.”

Stoner, who negotiated with Yamaha each of the last two season about joining Rossi before opting to join Loris Capirossi at Ducati for 2007, added: “It is very competitive at the moment and even though Nicky Hayden did win the championship last year and deserve it, I think Valentino is still the strength in this class until proven otherwise really.”