New MotoGP champion Casey Stoner has been told that he doesn't require surgery on the shoulder injury he sustained during the recent test at Jerez.
The 22-year-old suffered a high-side at the Spanish circuit on the second day of the test and picked up shoulder ligament damage which forced him out of the final day of running and saw him return home to Australia for further checks and to begin his recovery – a move which meant he was unable to attend Ducati's end of season celebrations in Bologna.
Having first of all visited Dr Neil Halpin in Newcastle, New South Wales, Stoner then underwent further examinations in a private clinic in Sydney where specialists revealed that rest, rather than surgery, was all that was required to ensure a return to fitness.
Although the MotoGP testing embargo is now in place until late January, it remains to be seen whether or not Stoner will be able to take part in the opening test of 2008 in Sepang from 22 January, with the Australian having been told that he will need to rest for between six and eight weeks before returning to action.
