Stoner: I can win without a factory bike.

On paper, rookie Casey Stoner is one of the least supported Honda riders in the MotoGP paddock - riding a customer spec RC211V for the new LCR outfit - but the Australian sensation insists that he's treated equally by HRC.

With the first three races of 2006 gone, Stoner has been the shock of the season so far - claiming a pole position in only his second race and then getting within one corner of victory next time out in Turkey.

"I'm still thinking about losing that race with a corner to go," confessed Stoner, when asked why he seemed so cool after his first MotoGP podium. "I guess it's just the Australian attitude. We're not the sort of people to do back flips. I'm just thinking about the next race and where we can improve, but it's definitely a very nice feeling."

The Istanbul result saw Stoner beat factory riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa - the top of the RCV hierarchy - while Istanbul winner Marco Melandri is next in terms of factory equipment. That leaves Stoner, Toni Elias and Makoto Tamada somewhere near the bottom rung of the ladder - not that Casey is complaining:

"I haven't got a works bike, but I'm not getting any less attention from Honda," said the 20-year-old. "Anything we need or needs working on they are there to listen. They're helping us all quite equally to tell the truth; I might not have the same equipment as the other riders but obviously my bike is capable of winning races, so I'm not complaining at all."

Stoner currently holds fourth in the 2006 world championship standings, just 11-points from the top, with three of the seventeen rounds gone.

Should Casey continue his incredible early season form, few would be surprised if Stoner receives additional HRC support in the near future - something that would surely help keep him on an RCV in 2007.

Stoner's interview with Toby Moody can be heard on the Crash.net Radio archive...