British MotoGP winner shocked at Ducati tyre gamble

British MotoGP winner Andrea Dovizioso said he was shocked when he realised that 2009 title contender Casey Stoner was starting the Donington Park race on wet tyres.
Stoner and team-mate Nicky Hayden’s decision not to start last weekend’s 30-lap race on slick tyres stunned most in the paddock, with Stoner opting not to run the same slick tyres that were chosen by title rivals Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.
What was even more surprising to Dovizioso was that the conditions at the start of the Donington clash were similar to those experienced at the Italian GP in Mugello earlier this year.
Aussie Stoner produced a brilliant performance to win Mugello and end Rossi’s domination of his home race and Dovizioso told MCN: For me it was strange because Casey is always really fast in those conditions as we saw in Mugello. I don’t think he needed to take such a big risk. If it rained then sure he would win, but if he were on slicks like the rest of us then he would have had to changed bikes at the same time. And when we have changed bikes at the same time in the past he is fast.”