Australia's motorcycle fans bid farewell to Casey Stoner

samedi 19 mai 2012

Australia's motorcycle fans bid farewell to Casey Stoner

Casey Stoner

Australian motorcycle racing fans were not all saddened by news Friday that double world champion Casey Stoner was riding his last MotoGP season.    "We all love to see heroes go out on top; he's got a great opportunity to do that," Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Andrew Westacott said.    The 26-year-old, who has won 35 MotoGP races and heads the current standings after winning two of this season's three races, announced his impending retirement Thursday ahead of the weekend's French Grand Prix.    Westacott said Stoner was a noisy opponent of changes intended to keep MotoGP costs down by making it easier for production bikes to be competitive.    "There've been changes driven by the economics where they're not so much prototype bikes but production bikes," Westacott told national broadcaster ABC. "Casey disagrees with that approach. He's very firm on his own opinions."    Stoner, who won his first title in 2007 on a Ducati and his second last year after moving to Honda, has also been plagued by cramps in his arms that have made heavy braking painful.    "After so many years taking part in this sport that I love, and with all the sacrifices that I've had to make, I no longer have the passion to continue and I think that it's best to stop," a sombre Stoner told reporters in France.    Motorsport commentator Stephen Ottley, writing in The Sydney Morning Herald, said the shy Stoner would not be greatly missed on the circuits.    "Compared to the flamboyance of his greatest rival, Valentino Rossi, Stoner looks awkward in the limelight," Ottley wrote. "But he has found himself thrust centre stage for one simple reason: he has been the best MotoGP rider of the last five years."    In a posting on the paper's website, one MotoGP follower said Stoner was "as interesting as a wet rag," adding that he "would much rather see Rossi win just to see what post-race celebration he has planned."

SOURCE: http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?n=175692