Casey Stoner not taking points lead for granted

The Australian has triumphed in the last three races, earning a 44-point lead over Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo heading into the final six races.

The Honda rider says rather than be complacent, he and his team need to be as focussed as ever to ensure he maintains his momentum in the championship.

"So far things are working well, but we've had tough races before and there's still quite a lot of races to go," Stoner said.

"In the championship you come closer and closer, but at the same time it is still a long way away so we need to make sure we keep up our momentum.

"We need to make sure that we're as competitive as we can be."

After two hot weekends, Stoner predicted San Marino would again be a tough race but said his ability to handle the conditions could help him triumph for a second time at the track - following his triumph for Ducati in 2007.

"Everything went well at Brno and Indy, we built on what we had and then everything got better and better in the race. They were hard weekends and tough races, and I think its going to be hot again here - but we will just deal with it.

"This track has always been pretty special. We didn't have such a good race here last year, we were struggling a lot, but we're hoping this year will be better and that we can fight for another win - or if not minimise the damage in the points."