Stoner looks to avoid Jerez start repeat

The Australian Ducati rider, winner of the season opener in Qatar, could only be fifth in the Jerez race after losing several positions at the start of the event.

His poor start meant Stoner lost a lot of time fighting his way back to the top the field, and he is hoping to avoid that in Turkey this weekend, as he aims to continue with his strong season.

"We've had some pretty good results on this circuit but it still doesn't mean it is one of my favourites," said Stoner ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix.

"There is a lot of corners on this track and to set this bike up for every type of corner is really hard work, but the way we have been going this season it has been like a perfect start for me.

"Jerez wasn't the best race but I believe if we had got away a little bit better in the first laps and didn't get shuffled back so far then we would have been in a decent position, so I think if we can try and avoid that position this weekend then we can have another great race."

The Australian is in second place in the riders' standings, tied with Honda's Dani Pedrosa, and he reckons he should be competitive again this weekend, despite admitting it will be hard to get his bike's set-up right.

"It is difficult to set the bike up perfectly for this track," he added. "There are so many different options of corners it is hard to set it up for the fast ones as well as the slow corners.

"Normally you have a slow corner at the end of the straight and it is just one single slow corner, whereas here you get three or four after one another so it is quite difficult.

"The way the Bridgestone and the Ducati have been going this year it seems to handle any style of corner and any style of circuit, so I think with a little bit more work we should be quite competitive this weekend."