Stoner still planning to go for victory

Heading into his home race at Phillip Island this weekend, Stoner says that the break since clinching the title in Japan has been one of the best of his life.

"These last few couple of weeks have been very enjoyable," he said. "We have had quite a lot of relaxing, with no pressure and no stress to think about the next race.

"We've got the championship finished now, it's a lot of weight off our shoulders and we can really enjoy these last few races...these last two weeks have been some of the best in my recent life."

Even though Stoner now has no pressure in terms of the championship, he has made it clear that he still wants to give everything he can out on track.

"For sure, each race this season is as important as another one," he explained. "I will still give it 100 percent, even more, and we will see what we can pull out in these last three races. But I will definitely enjoy them more and relax a bit more during the races."

He added: "Everything happens for a reason. We've worked hard for this, so we can relax a bit these next few months and get ready for next year."