Casey Stoner is considered by many to be one of, if not the greatest pure talent of MotoGP, where he won two world titles – with Ducati and Honda – but facing what he sees on track today, he reaffirms that the determining factor is the bike and not the rider, once again touching on technological innovations and how they facilitate work on a large scale.
The Australian spoke with Motociclismo.it and, quoted by Motosan, precisely addressed an aspect of riding widely used by riders today, emphasizing the ‘unique’ part where they are autonomous and can effectively make a difference, considering that it is not talent itself that defines positions, but the ease that bikes provide:
– Now they come out of corners and everyone has traction control working in the same way. The only area where they can make a small difference is in braking, and that is why we see so many mistakes and accidents in that phase. It’s unfortunate because you can’t see true talent. There are riders who can be at the front or in good positions, not because of talent, but because the bikes are safe and easy.
He also recalled an example of himself and a rider who, as seen in 2023, despite his age and being retired from MotoGP full-time, still manages to make a difference: Dani Pedrosa.
‘Pedrosa is still fast and can still make a difference, despite his age and being away from racing for a long time. I retired in 2012 and in 2016 I participated in official tests and was immediately fast, without any effort,’ said, before also talking about his time as a Ducati test rider:
– In my three years as a test rider for Ducati I only had one accident, in Austria, and in all test sessions I was the fastest. Today’s bikes are similar and don’t leave room to make a difference.
