Stoner - No regrets about Yamaha

Casey Stoner says he has got no regrets about missing out on the chance to partner Valentino Rossi in Yamaha’s factory MotoGP squad for the 2007 world championship.

The 21-year-old was locked in negotiations with Yamaha bosses in 2005 and last season, but talks came to nothing and he was snapped up in a late deal by Ducati’s factory team to replace Spaniard Sete Gibernau.

Stoner was pursued by Yamaha but there was contention about whether he would be in the factory team alongside Rossi, with the Aussie demanding he should be placed with the seven-times world champion.

There were also persistent rumours that Rossi had concerns about Stoner’s arrival and the impact it would have on his own relationship with Aussie crew chief Jerry Burgess.

Stoner, who won the season’s opening race in Qatar earlier this month, said: “I haven’t had any regrets since I made this move. The bikes and riders are very competitive this year and no doubt in the coming races it will be very hard to keep them at bay. I just have go into every race like Qatar and do the best we can.”