Having clinched the crown last time out in Japan, Ducati Marlboro's young star can expect an unforgettable welcome at Philip Island, where extra grandstands have been built to accommodate fans and advance ticket sales are up more than 150 per cent. And the 21-year-old has already made it clear how he wants to celebrate - by winning his ninth GP of the year.
Stoner is the second youngest winner of the premier-class title - after American legend Freddie Spencer - and only the third Australian to wear the crown after his childhood heroes Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner. Stoner is also the only man to have scored points at every round so far this year - with eight wins, one second place, two thirds, a fourth, two fifths and a sixth.
"It's going to be a special feeling going to my home race with the championship already won, but I will be going out to win, same as ever, because that's what I enjoy doing," Stoner insisted. "It's been an amazing season, I always knew I could do it with the right team behind me. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Australian fans, though once I'm on the bike I'll do my job same as everywhere.
"Phillip Island is my favourite track, it's fast and flowing and it's one of the few places where you can get a
MotoGP bike really wound out, it's a lot of fun coming off those fast corners. We went well there in testing, we had to work pretty hard to make the tyres last the race-distance runs but
Bridgestone have done an amazing job this year, so I think we can look forward to having good tyres for the race," he added.
"Honestly speaking, we go to Phillip Island with the usual mentality - aiming to win because we love racing and we love winning, it's our passion," underlined Ducati MotoGP project director Livio Suppo. "I'm very happy that Casey arrived in Australia with the crown already in his pocket, so he could relax a little before his home GP, he deserves it, he's had a wonderful season."
