...I have little doubt that Stoner is a better rider then Pedrosa....
...Well so far Stoner has a championship in the MotoGP under his belt and a far better record. So we shall see what will happen this year can't wait for it. 
Does the fact that you brake a few bones everytime you fall (and consequently miss a few races and takes you months to get back to full fitness) makes you a worse rider? Because this, more than anything, is hurting Pedrosa's campaigns in MotoGP. This can't help his record. Who knows, he could also be champion by now if he didn't suffer all those nasty injuries...
I wouldn't say Stoner is a better rider than Pedrosa just because he has a better record in the big class so far. Numbers usualy don't show the full picture. One can say Stoner also had better equipment during all their time together in GP.
Indeed this year should be interesting watching these two on equal equipment. It will answer alot of questions, hopefully. I think Pedrosa will finally silence his critics after all these years because he will have a teammate that is highly rated. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying he will leave Stoner in the dust, I'm just saying that those who say he is inferior rider to Stoner or Rossi will finally admit this year that he is as good.
Likewise, Stoner will silence a lot of critics who said he can only win on a Ducati. Let's hope for a injury free 2011 between the title contenders. Last thing I want is a repeat of 2010.