Stoner happy about 1000cc engines

The championship, currently using 800cc engines, will use one-liter power units from the 2012 season, after just five years with the capacity used right now.

Stoner said he was surprised by the move to 800cc engines in 2007, and is looking forward to the change in two years' time.

"Personally it's going to suit me a lot better," said Stoner during Ducati's media event in the Dolomites. "Each category that I've stepped up I've found a lot easier to understand the power when I'm trying to get more traction.

"I'm actually really looking forward to the new category. When the switch came to 800s it was puzzling for myself why they did it. There's no manufacturer there that makes 800cc bikes from where to take the data from their factory bikes and put it in there.

"But at least now we are going back to a neutral kind of ccs and hopefully it will be a bit more fun. The racing, in some ways, was better before, but last year there were a few pretty close races and fair few battles up front."

Stoner, who won the title with Ducati in 2007, says he is not thinking about leaving the Italian manufacturer, even if the team's project manager and his close friend Livio Suppo has moved to Honda.

"Livio is a friend of mine," he added. "I've worked with him for quite a few years, and we remain very good friends, it doesn't matter what manufacturer I'm with. I'm very, very happy with Ducati at the moment.

"We are great team and we are going to try and win next season. For me that's all that matters at the moment. It doesn't matter whether a friends moves anywhere really. I think we can take a step forward this year and trying and smooth things out that were a little bit rough last year."

Vittoriano Guareschi, the man replacing Suppo, said on Tuesday, that Suppo will try to lure Stoner into Honda.

"Livio Suppo has already told me that he'll try to take Stoner away from us," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But I think that we can give him everything he wants: a fine bike and a team that trusts him blindfold. Casey knows that and I'm confident we'll keep him in the future too."

Additional reporting by Michele Lostia