Stoner to Miss Brno for Surgery – Title Defence Likely Over

Casey Stoner has withdrawn from the Brno, Czech Republic MotoGP round to undergo surgery on his injured ankle. Trailing Yamaha‘s Jorge Lorenzo by 39 points and Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa by 21 points with seven rounds to go, Stoner’s hopes of repeating as MotoGP champion before retiring at the end of the season are all but dashed.

The Repsol Honda rider injured his ankle in a high side crash in last weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix. Stoner still managed to compete on The Brickyard, finishing fourth despite his injury. Stoner traveled to Brno intending to compete in the upcoming Czech Republic Grand Prix but made the decision to return to his native Australia for surgery to avoid permanent damage to the ankle.

The operation is expected to take place early next week and at the moment, there is no timetable for Stoner’s recovery. Stoner will no doubt try to be back by the Oct. 28 round at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit for his farewell home race.

[Source: Honda. Photo by GEPA Pictures]

By Dennis Chung