MotoGP legend Casey Stoner after back surgery: “Unbearable pain”

Casey Stoner earned his place in the MotoGP Hall of Fame thanks to his outstanding performances in the premier class of the World Motorcycle Championship. Riding for Lucio Cecchinello’s privateer team, the Australian made his MotoGP debut in the 2026 season. Stoner made a huge impact in every respect – with victories, but also a number of spectacular crashes.

Ducati Corse acted swiftly and brought the rookie into the factory team in 2007. The then 21-year-old pulled off the ‘Desmo miracle’ and clinched the title at the first attempt. In 2011, he repeated the feat whilst riding for Repsol Honda. Just one year later, the Australian star disappeared from the scene, partly due to persistent health problems. Stoner, always a private person, suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome.

What is less well known is that Casey Stoner also had to live with chronic back pain, the result of a crash in 2023, when he was still a 125cc rider and a year before the young Aussie gave KTM its first GP victory on tarmac. Taking to social media, the two-time MotoGP World Champion went on the offensive and reported with relief on an operation in the spring of 2026 that had improved his life beyond his wildest dreams.

Stoner: “It’s now been three months since I underwent spinal fusion between L5 and S1 and a disc replacement between L4 and L5. The recovery has definitely had its ups and downs, but overall my back has never felt this good for as long as I can remember. What surprised me most was realising that, even when I thought my back felt ‘fine’, I was still living with constant pain. It’s only now that I’ve discovered what it actually feels like not to have back pain.”

Champions-Treffen am Red Bull Ring: Casey Stoner mit Valentino Rossi

Foto: Gold and Goose

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The 40-year-old, who last attended a MotoGP event in 2025, went on to write: “It all began with a crash in 2003, when I crashed head-first into some bales of straw. The impact compressed my spine, and although I coped with it as best I could for over 20 years, the last few years – and particularly the last six months – became unbearable. It reached a point where surgery was the only real option.” “I am incredibly grateful to my surgeon and the entire medical team who looked after me throughout the whole process. Thank you so much for giving me back my quality of life.”

Casey Stoner caused a stir in 2015. At the time, he had lined up for his final employer, Honda, to compete in the 8-hour classic at Suzuka. Stoner was in brilliant form and was leading the race, but then crashed following a technical fault with the factory Endurance Honda. The popular Aussie left Japan with several fractures. It was his final race.