Stoner could undergo early surgery

The Australian aggravated an old wrist injury - suffered in 2003 - during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend and has been in pain while riding since then.

Suppo said Stoner is likely to undergo surgery eventually, and the Italian claimed his rider was in a lot of pain during the Indianapolis Grand Prix last weekend.

With his championship chances now gone, Suppo has not ruled out the possibility of Stoner sitting out some of the remaining four races of the season in order to have surgery and be ready for winter testing.

"Casey keeps quiet because he doesn't want to be labeled a whiner, but I can reveal that, besides the problem with the hand, he had great pains in his shoulder and ribs from Friday's crash," Suppo was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We got checked by several doctors and the common prognosis is that it's the old fracture from 2003 opening up again. Surgery would require two and a half months of convalescence.

"If the pain remains tolerable, then Stoner will complete the season, otherwise..."

Stoner is 87 points behind championship leader Valentino Rossi, with just 100 available in the remaining races.