Brno a no no for Stoner

Casey Stoner: Will undergo Surgery

Moto GP world champion Casey Stoner will miss Sunday's Czech Grand Prix after breaking his ankle at last weekend's Indianapolis race.

The Honda rider, who also suffered ligament damage in the crash during qualifying, went on to finish fourth in the race, which was won by teammate Dani Pedrosa.

Stoner, who is set to retire at the end of the season, had hoped to recover enough to race in Brno but finally admitted defeat on Thursday.

A statement on the MotoGP website said that the Australian would return home to undergo surgery.

"Casey Stoner will miss the Czech Republic Grand Prix as he has to head back to Australia to undergo treatment on his ankle injury sustained last

weekend in Indianapolis," it stated.

"Stoner will leave Brno this evening for Australia after his doctors advised

him to have surgery on his damaged ankle."

Stoner currently lies third in the world championships, 21 points behind second-placed Pedrosa and 39 behind leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Earlier the 26-year-old had expressed concerns about the the effect demanding nature of the Brno circuit could have on his ankle.

"The crash in qualifying last week has left me with a serious problem in my ankle," he said.

"In Brno there are many changes in direction and a lot of right hand corners so there will be a lot of weight on my ankle and it's going to be very difficult.

Difficult

World championship leader Jorge Lorenzo is upbeat about his chances in Sunday's race despite pressure from Pedrosa.

"After very little rest we are back in Europe at Brno, a track I really like and where I got a great victory in 2010 on my way to the title," the Yamaha rider, who finished fourth in Brno last year, told www.motogp.com.

"Our tyre choice last year made it difficult to fight for the podium but (I) think this year with the 1000cc we can definitely fight at the front," said the Spaniard, who has collected 225 points from 11 races this season.

Pedrosa said he was hungry to claim his second victory on the track and keen to make amends after he crashed out of last year's race

"It's wide and very fast track, with high speed corners where it is important to have good grip and front end feeling," he said

"Honda has been strong in the past few years, so we hope to have a good performance in this race also.

"The setup of the bike and electronics can be key, as well as the weather, which is always a little changeable in the Czech Republic.

"We need to keep focused and strong and with options for the victory every weekend."