Casey Stoner crashed inexplicably during Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix, allowing five-times world champion Valentino Rossi to roar to victory.
Rossi has now opened up a gaping 50-point edge over the young Australian, with six races remaining.
“We knew that we needed to win this race — and more — in order to close down Valentino’s advantage, so this makes the championship very difficult for us,” Stoner said.
“Anything can happen in racing but 50 points is a big gap against such a strong and consistent competitor.
“Anyway, I never throw in the towel, nor does anybody at Ducati, and we will keep fighting until the end.”
Stoner is optimistic he can claw back some ground on the Italian at the next round, in Italy. “Misano is a home race for the factory and there will be lots of Ducatisti there, so my main thought now is to stay positive and bounce back with a good show for them in two weeks’ time,” he said.
“The crash came out of the blue, that corner was an easy one. It’s a hard one to explain and we will look at the data,” Stoner said.
Stoner had a 1.5 second lead over Rossi going into the sixth lap, but lost control of his bike and flew into the gravel.
“I knew it would be very difficult with Casey (Stoner) so strong, and his first lap was impressive,” the Fiat Yamaha rider said.
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