Don't believe that. Psychologically, Stoner's as hard and unyielding as Ayers Rock. If he's pressured, he'll pressure back. The kid forged that inner core racing hicksville flat-tracks in Australia in his school years, and he won't buckle.
So, as the lights go green at 11pm in the chilly desert air on Sunday night, we could be in for a better season than on paper seems probable. What has screwed this prospect somewhat are the difficulties that have afflicted the Repsol Honda team this winter.
Dani Pedrosa, who is destined to win the world championship sometime in his still-fledgling career, has missed hundreds of miles of testing due to injury, and can't seriously be expected to compete for the title this year.
And Honda, despite its reputation as the greatest engineering company in the history of grand prix racing - though Ducati at present holds that honour - still hasn't got its 800cc V4 pneumatic package right. That's a shame, for the 2006 champion
Nicky Hayden is a greater rider than the one-title wonder that too many people dismiss him as.
It's also a tragedy - I use the word deliberately - that the fiery
John Hopkins also missed so much testing, due to a groin injury. The 24-year-old American has spent five winless years in
MotoGP, and must believe that the switch to Kawasaki's ZX-RR will end that streak. It could happen in the later part of the season.
Other predictions: new boy
Jorge Lorenzo will win on the Fiat Yamaha in his debut MotoGP season.
Colin Edwards, perhaps feeling free of being in Rossi's shadow now that he's switched to the Tech 3 Yamaha squad, could approach his 2005 best result of fourth in the championship. Rizla Suzuki still seem to be struggling to get the optimum bike/rider package. And the savvy LCR team boss Lucio Cecchinello will prove that a satellite Honda RC212V can reach the podium with his rider
Randy de Puniet.
But all this could like deranged bullsh*t by the time the seven-month, 18-round slog finishes in Valencia in October: racing is unpredictable.
