Australian Casey Stoner kick-starts the defence of his MotoGP title in Qatar this weekend with a point to prove.

The 22-year-old Ducati rider dominated last season with 10 wins in 18 races to become the second youngest champion in the top category.

Only three other riders have won 10 times in a single 500cc/MotoGP season, compatriot Mick Doohan and Italians Giacomo Agostini and Valentino Rossi, but Stoner still feels his talents have yet to be fully recognised.

"It's been frustrating because everyone said my results were down to other things," he told Britain's Times newspaper last week. "It was traction control or the tyres or the bike. It pissed me off."

Photographs: Getty Images | Text: Reuters

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