Stoner unveils new toy

Melandri have unveiled the 2008 Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP bike at Madonna di Campiglio in the Trento Dolomites.

The two-day media event was set up to publicise the new bike and team.

"This is such a wonderful event," said Casey Stoner. "I'm happy to be here although it meant celebrating my first wedding anniversary on a flight from Australia!

"I hope to be able to have fun and do some skiing too, maybe cross-country skiing. I don't want to run any risks snowboarding. This holiday break after our latest test was just what I needed to unwind after a fantastic, although extremely challenging season. I also needed to recover after my shoulder injury from the Jerez tests."

"I feel much better now, although I'll only know if I'm completely recovered when I get back in the saddle. I'm happy to begin a new season with the same bike and the same team, it's a first for me since I started to race. The feeling is just perfect with everyone at Ducati: Claudio, Filippo, Livio and all of my team, I wouldn't change a thing."

"As for my bike, I haven't suggested any big changes either, because we already had such a competitive package. We are only going to work on a few details. Winning a World Championship has taken a big weight off my shoulders: all my parents' sacrifices, all the hard times in the past, it's all behind me now."

"This year, I'll continue to work in order to try and repeat my performance of last year and be even stronger and faster, but I'll be able to do that in a very different spirit."

Meanwhile Stoner has won the prestigious Motosprint Rider of the Year crown, ending Valentino Rossi’s eight-year reign. He was also voted Man of the Year by Motorcycle News in the UK and MotosportAktuell in Germany. All three awards are based on reader votes.

The young racer's diary is filling rapidly. After the Ducati launch, he will be attending a combined Ferrari/Ducati event and will then move on the start of pre-season testing in Malaysia.

Web: www.ducati.com