Fatigue Caused Stoner's Collapse

Casey Stoner's unfortunate medical condition midway through the ongoing season has certainly come as a blow to Ducati in their bid for this year's MotoGP manufacturers' title. Not to mention himself, as the Australian rider is now completely out of the title fight, leaving Yamaha's Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo all alone on top of the classification.

As confirmed by Ducati in a press release earlier this week, the 2007 MotoGP champion will stay the remaining 3 races out in order to take care of his problematic medical condition. Although nobody has yet issued a definitive verdict on what exactly Stoner is suffering from, it is believed his problems are fatigue-related.

“I've been around Casey for a week. He's only 22 but he has already accumulated the fatigue of a 50-year-old person. His crisis isn't acute but it has already brought up symptoms with his stomach, his anemia and various pains that must be investigated thoroughly and not with the occasional medical tests done so far,” confirmed Casey's doctor Claudio Macchiagodena in an interview with Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

Macchiagodena also explained why it is necessary for Stoner to stay as much as two months outside the MotoGP action. He's set to rejoin the grid in early October, for the Portuguese Grand Prix, at Estoril.

“With a one-month rest he'll be back in shape, while with two months he'll make sure his body is fine. He won the 2007 title, so if he manages himself without mistakes he'll be great again,” added the Italian doctor.

Until then, Stoner's place at Ducati will be taken by Pramac Racing's Mika Kallio. The Finn will himself be replaced at the French outfit by Ducati's Superbike works' rider Michel Fabrizio (at least for this weekend's Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno).