Casey Stoner's Moto GP title surge begins at Catalunya

CASEY Stoner might be retiring at the end of the season, but his appetite to lift a third world title is greater than it has ever been.

CASEY Stoner might be retiring at the end of the season, but his appetite to lift a third world title is greater than it has ever been.

Stoner goes into tonight's Catalunya Grand Prix bidding to repeat his wins at the Montmelo circuit in 2007 and 2011 - the years he went on to be crowned world champion.

"Catalunya is one of my favourite races and it was the first major grand prix circuit I tested on," Stoner said.

"Ever since that moment, I fell in love with the track - the big fast sweeping corners. There's a lot of control in the middle of the turn trying to get grip for the exit.

"We know the Honda works well here and we had a good race here last year.

"I just hope this weekend will be dry."

Stoner goes into this fifth race of the season placed second in the riders' standings on 82 points, eight behind Jorge Lorenzo, who lines up on the back of his win at Le Mans last time out, where Stoner took third behind Italian legend Valentino Rossi.

GALLERY: STONER'S CAREER IN PICTURES

"I am going to continue to give 100 per cent of my capabilities and even more in the remaining races of the season," Stoner said.

One of Stoner's main rivals tonight will be his Honda team-mate and local hope Dani Pedrosa, who missed last year's race due to injury.

"Montmelo is a difficult circuit for the bikes and the tyres but it's always a great race," Pedrosa said.

A winner at Catalunya in all three categories of motorcycle racing, Pedrosa is third in the overall standings, 25 points behind Lorenzo.

Like Pedrosa, Lorenzo feels at home in Barcelona, having set up base in the Catalan city.

"It's my home race. I'm from Mallorca, but I have lived in Barcelona for a long time," Lorenzo said.

"It's also a track where I've had great results in the past.

"I think for the 1000cc Yamaha, it could be a good track. I hope we have a weekend with good conditions but, if it rains, we'll be OK as well."

The 2010 titleholder also predicted a tight battle in tonight's race.

"It's (the season) been very tough with a lot of competition, especially in the front group with Casey (Stoner) and Dani," he said.

"The races have a very high pace and are physically very demanding. To be at the front, you can't stop concentrating.

"You have to be at the limit all the time and, of course, not crash."

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