Casey Stoner: No big changes for 2009 Ducati

Former world champion Casey Stoner reckons he isn’t expecting any big changes to Ducati’s factory GP9 machine when winter testing resumes in February.

Stoner gave his impressions and feedback on the GP9 from trackside in Jerez last month as he continued his recovery from a bone graft operation on his left wrist.

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After observing from trackside, the Aussie was able to relay his thoughts to Ducati engineers while sitting it on technical debriefs with new team-mate Nicky Hayden.

And the 2007 world champion reckons the carbon fibre framed GP9 is already at a competitive level, and he doesn’t anticipate any big changes when he returns to action in Sepang, Malaysia next year.

Stoner told MCN: “We don’t need a lot of changes. I think we have got a very good base from the first test in Valencia. Both days our bike was quickest there so that was a very positive step.

“We still know we have got some things to improve but I think a lot of it will come from the bike itself. We’ve been using the settings we had on the GP8 and this is a completely different bike on which we are going to have to try new setting.  I think once we start to get the setting better it will really show its potential.”

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