Casey Stoner to miss 3 races or more

Casey Stoner, the 2007 MotoGP champion, has been fighting off what he thought was a minor illness that left him tired since the Catalunyan Grand Prix held in mid-June. The Australian is a fighter though and kept up the pace as best he could for what was a three-way tie in the championship when the series departed Spain.

Stoner has been diagnosed with a form of anemia that causes severe fatigue and he needs to sit out the next three events, effectively removing the Aussie out of the title fight this season. There is still the possibility that he may not be ready to return by the time the MotoGP series arrives in Hungary.

"After five extremely difficult races due to my health, I returned to Australia to visit the sports doctors who have looked after me for many years," said Stoner. "We have taken the difficult decision not to contest the next three rounds of the championship, to allow my body time to recover from the recent stress."

"The doctors believe that during the Barcelona race I was suffering from a virus, and, that I subsequently pushed my body too hard, leading to problems that have caused my fatigue since then," explained the Aussie. "The doctors are continuing with many tests to try to understand these problems and make sure it does not happen again.

"I have spoken with Ducati and thank them for their understanding at this time. I feel very sorry for the factory, my team, my sponsors and the fans and I am also disappointed because the bike in the last races has been very competitive. I will be doing everything possible to come back at full strength for Portugal."