In 2007, Casey Stoner arrived at Ducati in MotoGP, however, with the certainty of it being a brief stay. Marco Melandri was already signed for 2008, so he was, for all intents and purposes, a replacement rider. It is certain that, even though the manufacturer was far from having the current performance, he managed to become champion against all odds.
An situation that the Australian recently recalled in an interview with TNT Sports: ‘We knew we were just a replacement because they tried to keep Marco Melandri, but he was only coming in 2008 because he was already signed. I was a replacement rider. They literally had no plans to keep me. They can pretend it was something grand and beautiful. But I was literally just a rider on sabbatical! I was just a substitute. Marco was coming. That was the dream Italian team. Then I won the championship‘.
Despite arriving as a temporary pilot, Stoner ended up staying at Ducati until the end of 2010, consistently competing for top positions. Melandri also joined in 2008 as planned, but in place of Loris Capirossi. Later, Nicky Hayden also joined the team, being Stoner’s teammate in 2009 and 2010.
