Stoner bullish on victory chances

The Ducati rider is the on-form man at the moment, having won in Australia and Malaysia, and also won at Valencia last year.

The 2007 world champion believes that the circuit will suit the Desmosedici GP09 well and give him a great chance of adding another victory to his growing collection.

"Valencia is a circuit I've always liked - it is tight and slow but surprisingly flowing, and my Ducati has always run really well there," said the Australian.

"And I've been on the pace for the past couple of seasons - in testing and in the races - so obviously we're hoping that trend continues, even though we will have to make a few small adjustments to the bike.

"We're finally at the end of the season and already looking forward to the next one, so if we can win this race then great, if not we'll try and finish the year with a podium and then start working towards next year."

His team-mate Nicky Hayden has happy memories of Valencia, as it was the scene of his emotional world title win in 2006.

Hayden lies a disappointing 13th in the championship, but knows that a podium finish - something that he has achieved only once since joining Ducati - could enable him to jump as high as ninth overall.

"I love Valencia for obvious reasons, but I also like the circuit itself," said the American, who first rode a Ducati in a test at the circuit just under a year ago.

"If I can manage a good result there's a chance we can finish the season in the top 10. I won't be easy but we'll see what we can do."