Stoner 'very excited' to race for Honda again

TOKYO — Australian rider Casey Stoner said on Friday that it is "very exciting" and "a dream" to start the new MotoGP season at his old team Honda after four years with rival outfit Ducati."I had a very good first season with Honda and then I took a different direction with another manufacturer," said the 25-year-old, who won the 2007 world championship in his first year with Ducati."But for me, especially to come back to the factory team is a big privilege," said Stoner, who stepped up to the premier class in 2006 as he moved to Honda's works team from Aprilia."It's very exciting to be back. It's a dream of mine since I was a young boy," Stoner told a Honda media event in Tokyo."The package we have and everything we've tested so far, the bike has been really impressive."Stoner clocked the fastest lap in the season's first testing session at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia on Tuesday, with his teammate Dani Pedrosa of Spain the fastest on the second day."I'm very much looking forward to this season and hopefully we can have a strong season all together with this team," said Stoner.The Australian won the Japanese Grand Prix at the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi in October on a Ducati. He won three races last year for a total of 23 career MotoGP wins.His move to the Repsol Honda team has fired up Pedrosa, who finished runner-up to champion and Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo of Spain in the overall standings last season."Basically, my goal is to improve myself every time and to be better every year," Pedrosa said. "Of course, now I have some experience in MotoGP. I want to use my experience and try to have a good performance in all races."The new season starts with the Qatar Grand Prix in March. Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

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