Casey Stoner’s excellent beginning to the 2009 MotoGP World Championship at Losail International Circuit issued no indication of the disrupted year that awaited him in the following months.

The young Aussie started well with pole position securing his first qualifying session of the year plus a hat-trick of continuing victories at Qatar finishing the first Monday night MotoGP event, followed by rain which prevented the due Sunday night challenge.

In round two in Japan, Stoner was not able to repeat his success after beginning poorly from second on the grid, he was only able to challenge back enough to take a fourth placing, thus giving his early lead to Jorge Lorenzo.

At the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, he finished over the line in third place for his sole Jerez stage appearance, following was the event in France then he fought hard in the wet weather conditions at Le Mans to place fifth in a difficult competition.   The results put Stoner equal on points with Valentino Rossi in second place in the rankings, followed by Lorenzo.

Next was Mugello, the home of Ducati and a track where nobody was able to beat Italian champion Rossi since 2001. In another wet-dry challenge, the competitors had another opportunity to swap engines mid-race and it was Stoner who got it correct, giving Ducati their first premier class winy at the Tuscan arena.

Round six at Catalunya was a major weekend in Stoner’s successful year but disappointingly for the wrong reason. A difficult event saw Rossi beat Lorenzo on the last corner with a tired Stoner arriving in third place, just holding off Andrea Dovizioso for the last stage slot.

The positions equalled Rossi, Lorenzo and Stoner in a three-way draw for top position, but Stoner was affected by an illness and pushed his body that hard in the event that he needed medical attention prior to appearing on the podium.

Alarm bells were sounding at Assen 2 weeks later when Stoner placed third again behind Rossi and Lorenzo, again suffering from exhaustion, he fell to third in the rankings. The 23 year-old underwent fast examinations by Dr Claudio Macchiagodena from the Clinica Mobile, trying to rehydrate him and recover in due time for California’s demanding Laguna Seca circuit.

With the first US visit of the season, Stoner again was detained by his illness in the final third of the event and could not challenge to his well known best. Following winner Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha duo Rossi and Lorenzo, Stoner fell short in the remaining laps and placed fourth.

Stoner then stayed behind in California for a culmination of medical tests, however doctors could not find a remedy for a diagnosis of slight gastritis and mild anemia.

With another courageous effort in Germany, he tried to fight his way back into the challenge stakes, Stoner held the event lead for ten laps but then seemed to be in wheel deterioration, rather than physical issues which stopped him from a due victory. He placed fourth again followed the same threesome of competitors as Laguna.

Things got worse, the round at Donington Park created some typical British summer weather and again a wet-dry circuit caused a tyre option to be crucial, Ducati got it wrong as Stoner and his colleague Nicky Hayden went with ‘wets’ while the remainder of the grid began on dry tyres. The circuit didnt get wet enough to use the selection and Stoner ended in 14th place.

After the British Grand Prix, Ducati confirmed that Stoner required complete rest following consultation with doctors in Australia, he would skip the three events at Brno, Indianapolis and Misano to allow his body to recover.

Subsequently Stoner has fallen to fourth in the overally rankings, seven points behind Pedrosa, however still with four rounds left, he will arrive back to action at the Grande Premio bwin.com de Portugal, fully determined to compete at his best and sure to achieve a warm reception from his fellow colleagues plus the remainder of the MotoGP paddock.