Stoner hopes for better run at Donington

The Australian has been severely hampered by illness in recent weeks, but in Germany he was able to stay in touch with the Yamahas until the final laps.

That improved showing and the chances of cool weather at Donington Park have given him hope that he might at least manage another podium finish this weekend.

"The last one at the Sachsenring was a lot more enjoyable for me, I had a lot more fun and was at least watching the fight rather than seeing it from a 10s gap," said Stoner.

"I was able to hang in there a little bit more in the last one, but I think a lot of that was due to the weather being very, very kind to me.

"We'll just have to see what we're capable of this weekend. We know this place can keep you nice and cool at the worst of times, so we hope to be somewhere near where we were at the Sachsenring."

He remains extremely frustrated that his poor health is preventing him from battling with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo - especially as he is confident that his Ducati is on a par with the currently dominant Yamahas.

"It's frustrating more than anything, because it came at a period when we'd found some solutions on the bike that had definitely been improving a lot of things," said Stoner.

"We're just going to have to wait and see - when we get rid of this thing, whatever it is, we can start to be a little bit happier towards the end of the race.

"These last races, the bike's been working so well, we should have been battling at least, even if we finished in the same position, I should have been a lot closer."