Stoner: “People thought I was only successful because of the Ducati”

Next weekend, the MotoGP World Championship continues with the Australian Grand Prix. Jorge Martin (Aprilia) heads to Phillip Island with a two-point lead over champion Marc Marquez (Ducati). The pair will once again give it their all at this historic circuit to gain the upper hand in the title race.

One rider who has very fond memories of racing at Phillip Island is Casey Stoner. The Australian remains the most successful rider in the premier class there – he has won his home Grand Prix a total of six times. The MotoGP legend celebrated his finest victory at Phillip Island in 2011: Stoner won the Grand Prix on his birthday, 16 October. He also secured the World Championship title ahead of schedule.

“Winning a championship on your birthday and at your home Grand Prix… plus it was my fifth consecutive race win there and my second world title – all these things happened on one day at my home circuit. I don’t think there’s anyone else in history to whom all that has happened in a single day,” Stoner reflected in a video by our colleagues at motogp.com.

Casey Stoner nach seinem Rennsieg und Titelgewinn in Australien 2011

Foto: Gold & Goose

Jorge Lorenzo was injured in a crash during the warm-up

Ahead of the final three races of the 2011 season, Stoner had a substantial lead over Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), who was second in the World Championship standings. An incident before the Australian Grand Prix abruptly changed Stoner’s strategy for the race. “It was a very difficult day. Unfortunately, Jorge had a crash in the warm-up that morning, in which he injured his finger,” Stoner recalled. “He then decided not to race, and that completely changed my mindset – from thinking about winning the race to realising that I just needed to finish in the top four to clinch the championship early.”

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Stoner started the race from pole position and showed tremendous pace right from the start on his favourite circuit. “The conditions were dry, which is why I was confident. We knew we were going to win, but then it started to rain three-quarters of the way through the race and I nearly crashed. Lots of people crashed back then,” said the 41-year-old, describing the events of that time. Among the riders who crashed was Valentino Rossi, who was riding for Ducati at the time. “I didn’t want to take too big a risk then, because we had to win this championship. At the same time, you want to win the race. So I was torn: how hard can I push, how much risk can I take? It was difficult to find the balance and bring the bike home safely.”

Stoner won the race 2.2 seconds ahead of Marco Simoncelli. Andrea Dovizioso came third and Dani Pedrosa fourth – four Hondas were in the top four. And Casey Stoner secured his second World Championship title ahead of schedule.

Das Podium beim Australien-GP 2011: Stoner, Simoncelli und Dovizioso

Foto: Gold & Goose

Casey Stoner: “I had to put up with a lot of criticism for a long time”

The 2011 MotoGP World Championship title was also a great source of satisfaction for Stoner. After his first title in the premier class in 2007, which he had won with Ducati, many didn’t believe he was capable of winning a second. “I had to put up with a lot of criticism for a long time. Because of the Ducati’s powerful engine, everyone thought I simply had the best bike back then. People didn’t believe in my talent; they thought I was only successful because of the Ducati,” explained Stoner. “I switched to Honda back then, and they weren’t successful for a long time. We then went on to win the championship and achieved the same as we had with Ducati. That filled me with pride! I don’t just win races and championships for myself – we win and lose as a team. Achieving all that on that day – winning the championship with a round to spare – was very emotional for us.”

In 2011, Casey Stoner secured ten GP victories in his first year with Honda – as many as he had in 2007 with Ducati. In 2012, his final MotoGP season, he won the Australian GP for the sixth consecutive time.

A week after Casey Stoner clinched the title early, the MotoGP World Championship experienced one of its darkest days: on 23 October 2011, Marco Simoncelli crashed at Sepang.