Casey Stoner and Francesco Bagnaia have something very specific in common in MotoGP: they were the only riders so far to win the championship with Ducati colors, something that the Australian considers particularly difficult today due to the high level of the category, where the threat in the fight for victory comes from everywhere.
The former rider and the current championship leader had a lively conversation in a recent video shared by the official MotoGP website, where Bagnaia began by recalling when he met Stoner: ‘The first time was in 2011, in Mugello. I was young and I asked to meet him. I was a big fan of Ducati and when Casey won with them for the first time, I met Vale [Valentino Rossi], who was also a big fan’.
Stoner replied honestly and confessed… that he doesn’t remember: ‘Sorry, I don’t remember. Maybe I was too small’.
This was followed by a brief comment from the former rider about the current state of MotoGP and how it adds greater challenges for Bagnaia, given the high level of competitiveness everywhere: ‘Now everyone has the opportunity to win with any brand, which makes things more difficult for Pecco. But, for me, he is doing a fantastic job and achieving very difficult things in MotoGP’.
In addition to highlighting this growing “threat” for Bagnaia, the Australian was happy to see the world champion “inherit” the #1: ‘I am proud that you have the number 1. Many riders do not take it after winning, and I think it is a recognition,’ with Bagnaia expressing happiness for the decision to use it:
– I like it. They offered me the opportunity and I thought, why not? The image of my bike with the number 1 is amazing.
