Stoner: No choice over operation

The Australian former world champion aggravated an old fracture in the scaphoid bone in his left wrist when he crashed earlier this year. And while he has been warned by MotoGP doctor Claudio Costa that surgery 'could be risky' to his career, Stoner is in no doubt that he must undergo an operation.

"Basically we've got to have bone grafts and things like that to make one side of the scaphoid heal to make sure that I don't lose it because if the bone dies it will have to be removed, and that's no good..."

Similar injuries forced 1993 world champion Kevin Schwantz and Doriano Romboni to quit the sport.

"I'll have the operation a week after Valencia race, as soon as possible," said Stoner. "It'll be in in Italy.

"I'll have the cast on for a month to a month and a half and it should take two to two and a half months for it to properly heal and then I should be able to use it properly again.

"I would love it all to just repair itself and go on happily but unfortunately I think we are quite lucky that we have found it now. This season hasn't gone the way we planned it and we made a few mistakes, so better that it happened this year so I can ready for a better attack next year."

Stoner added that while he is keen to get the operation out of the way, it is essential that he tests the new Ducato GP9 at Valencia before he has it.

"I really want to get as much information as we can in those first two days before the test ban period comes in to effect," he said.

"We believe we are going to be quite strong again next year, at least be able to try and fight for the championship so we need to start as soon as possible."