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Yesterday I posted a photo of Marc Marquez on the grid at Le Mans and wrote briefly about how riders have to block out distractions as they prepare to race MotoGP bikes.

A rider’s intensity can vary quite a bit from one to the next. Some appear calm as they sit atop their bikes, waiting for the grid to clear. Their close-bitten fingernails might suggest that beneath the surface the nerves are more active.

Some smile and joke with TV cameras. Others play music to shut out the world. Some disappear from the grid, not only in mind but in body. Are they making one final restroom stop to compensate for all the fluids they’ve been storing up, or simply getting away from the noise and distractions?

Sometimes their eyes tell another story altogether. I don’t know what was going through Casey’s mind at this moment. But I suspect he was ready for the nonsense to be over and for the race to begin.

[mgallery keyword=”Casey Stoner”]

Photograph: ©2011 by Scott Jones / PHOTO.GP – All Rights Reserved

Camera Info: Nikon D4 with Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8