Title tilt ahead for Stoner after illness battle

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO (Italy) // Casey Stoner is confident that having overcome the illness that ruined his championship bid in 2009 he is now primed for glory this season. The Australian had looked in good shape early last year after winning two of the first five races.

But a mysterious debilitating illness, which left him "completely destroyed after three or four laps" struck and sidelined him for three races. He recovered and won again before the end of the year and he expects more of the same now. "I am feeling better than I have in years so am really looking forward to this year. We are going out to win the championship like everyone else." Stoner, 24, discovered his ailment last year had been due to being lactose intolerance, but he returned with a second place in Portugal and then back-to-back wins in Australia and Malaysia to finish fourth in the standings.

Talking of the steps he has taken on the recovery trail, the 2007 champion said: "My training levels have increased dramatically and my fitness is going a lot higher than it has before at a much easier level. I've never had to train nearly as hard. Everyone was saying the illness was in my head, that it was a mental problem, psychological. "But I knew better. I've been doing this sport a long time and I'm not just going to have a mental breakdown in the middle of the season when things were going well."

His fears were highlighted at Donington in July for the British Grand Prix when he struggled to finish a lowly 14th. "Things were becoming a little dangerous in my riding and I was becoming too tired to control the bike," he said. "All the blood tests showed I was OK for a normal person. "There are two limits, high and low, but the one doctor, who found out what was wrong with me, found I was at the lower, absolute minimum end of those limits.

"For a normal person that would be fine. They would get through everyday life without feeling anything different. But when you try to become an athlete it's actually supposed to be above the high limit. We went completely off lactose - milk, dairy products - and since then I've got stronger and stronger. "All those things that people are saying, that there are questions that need to be answered, nobody was listening to me so I don't believe I have to answer any questions.

"It was nice to come back in Portugal and the last few races and prove there was something wrong." Stoner looked fresh and focused yesterday at Wrooom 2010, an event hosted by Marlboro in Italy, which sponsors both Ducati and the Ferrari Formula One team. So too did his American teammate Nicky Hayden. With their contracts up at the end of the season, both have points to prove when the campaign starts in Qatar on April 11.

Hayden has had a disappointing period since his own 2006 championship success. He finished 13th last season - a distant 202 points behind champion Valentino Rossi - and said: "It's been frustrating. I expect a lot of myself, but I have no doubt about my bike, the team or my potential. I know we have all the ingredients we need. It's just a case of putting it all together and making it happen." The team's new Desmosedici GP10 bike, which will be unveiled today, got him so excited he showed the first pictures on his personal website. "It was like a new toy and I was just like a kid who wanted to show it to all my friends," added the American. "I'll be in the doghouse a bit, but I was excited." @Email:akhan@thenational.ae

Michael Schumacher has started his preparations for his Formula One return by getting behind the wheel of a GP2 car to begin a three-day testing session. The 41-year-old German driver came out of retirement to drive for Mercedes this year, but didn't have an ideal start as cold and windy conditions meant Schumacher could only run very limited mileage on slick tires. Schumacher, a record seven-time world champion, is taking part in tests with the F1 feeder series to help with the development of the 2011 GP2 car. With off-season F1 testing limited, Schumacher is also using the sessions to prepare for his return.