Casey Stoner amaemic woe

Australia's past world champ Casey Stoner has been diagnosed for anaemia, but confesses his ultimate problem in the preparation for this weekend's German Grand Prix is a tender rib injury.

The Ducati rider was wounded in a drop at Laguna Seca, his fourth placing kept him in contention with leader Valentino Rossi, who is 16 points in front in the heading race.

Having been treated with minor anaemia, Stoner commented: "I still don't feel like I am 100 per cent but the biggest problem now is that my ribs are very painful after the crash in qualifying in the US.

"It will be probably another hard weekend in Germany, but as always, we will do our best to stay as much as possible close to the lead of the championship."

Ducati's Project Director Livio Suppo stated: "This is a delicate time for Casey but we know he is made of stern stuff.

"He will continue to fight like a lion, as he has done in the past few races, even though the crash at Laguna left its mark on him and that certainly won't help."