Having had his title tilt ruined by illness, Casey Stoner is wanting to draw a line under his 2009 MotoGP campaign in the best way possible by signing off with a fifth victory of the season at Valencia.

A debilitating ailment forced Stoner to miss three races earlier in the season, preventing him to making it a three-way battle for the title with Yamaha pair Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, but his return to competition has seen him back to his best, winning at Phillip Island and Sepang most recently.

It means he is on course to secure third in the standings, even if he is mathematically still able to overhaul Lorenzo should the Spaniard retire and Stoner wins in Spain.

The Ducati rider is well placed to keep his end of the bargain too having won the last two rounds, as well as last season's Valencia finale.

“Valencia is a circuit I've always liked – it is tight and slow but surprisingly flowing and I think it's a good circuit for a MotoGP bike. Apart from anything it is a great viewing spectacle for the fans, who can follow the bikes around practically the whole circuit.

“My Ducati has always run really well there and I've been on the pace for the past couple of seasons – in testing and in the races – so obviously we're hoping that trend continues, even though we will have to make a few small adjustments to the bike.

“We're finally at the end of the season and already looking forward to the next one, so if we can win this race then great, if not we'll try and finish the year with a podium and then start working towards next year.”