Auto Club Top Onnes

Ducati team boss Livio Suppo has suggested world champion Casey Stoner could miss the end of the season if his wrist injury continues to hinder him.

The Australian aggravated an old wrist injury - suffered in 2003 - during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend and has been in pain while riding since then.

Suppo said Stoner is likely to undergo surgery eventually, and the Italian claimed his rider was in a lot of pain during the Indianapolis Grand Prix last weekend.

With his championship chances now gone, Suppo has not ruled out the possibility of Stoner sitting out some of the remaining four races of the season in order to have surgery and be ready for winter testing.

"Casey keeps quiet because he doesn't want to be labeled a whiner, but I can reveal that, besides the problem with the hand, he had great pains in his shoulder and ribs from Friday's crash," Suppo was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We got checked by several doctors and the common prognosis is that it's the old fracture from 2003 opening up again. Surgery would require two and a half months of convalescence.

"If the pain remains tolerable, then Stoner will complete the season, otherwise..."

Stoner is 87 points behind championship leader Valentino Rossi, with just 100 available in the remaining races.

Casey Stoner said a fading rear tyre prevented him from pushing harder in the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion grabbed the lead at the start but then lost pace and ultimately finished a distant fourth in the red-flagged and rain-affected race.

"I'm never going to be satisfied with fourth place but it would have been foolish to push harder in those conditions and I made the right decision not to do so," Stoner said.

"I got a good start but I quickly lost confidence because the rear tyre was tearing up quickly and by the time they stopped the race I was struggling to hold my lap times."

Team boss Livio Suppo wasn't sure why Stoner had encountered tyre problems, but was relieved that he brought the bike home fourth despite his issues.

"It was a tough race for Casey but he showed grit and determination to bring home a decent result," Suppo said.

"It may be to do with the power delivery of our engine or the set-up of the bike but the rear tyre went off quicker than expected and Casey couldn't ride on the attack, as we're used to seeing. It's a shame it wasn't a dry race because in the warm-up we saw Casey was in good shape for those conditions."

With Valentino Rossi winning the race, Stoner is now 87 points behind his title rival in the standings with only four rounds remaining.