Pirro explains: Why Stoner was hardly able to help Ducati with his test work

Casey Stoner is still regarded as one of the most exceptional riders in MotoGP history. Even years after his retirement, the Australian continued to impress during his stints as a Ducati test rider with a pace that left even seasoned professionals in awe. However, Ducati test rider Michele Pirro has now revealed why Stoner’s extraordinary skills only helped the development work to a limited extent.

On the ‘Mig Babol’ podcast, Pirro began by recalling his early years at Ducati. Pirro joined Ducati in 2013, taking on the role of test and reserve rider. At the time, Ducati’s MotoGP project was in a state of upheaval. Valentino Rossi had failed to make an impact and returned to Yamaha after two unsuccessful years.

At the time, Stoner was regarded internally as the only rider who truly had the Ducati Desmosedici under control. Pirro recalls: “When I joined Ducati, everyone – from the engineers to the people involved in the project – said that only Stoner could ride this bike and only Stoner could win on it.”

Ducati-Test-Veteran Michele Pirro

Foto: Gold and Goose

When the Ducati Desmosedici was still a wild beast

In fact, the Ducati of that era was considered extremely demanding. Riding at the limit for several laps took an enormous amount of strength, even from top riders. Stoner, on the other hand, handled the Desmosedici in a completely different way and demanded a motorbike with entirely different characteristics. This had many advantages, but also disadvantages. For when Stoner returned to Ducati in 2016 and assisted Pirro with testing, the differing requirements became clear.

Topic of the week

The 2027 Formula 1 grid: Will the transfer bombshell only drop in the autumn?

Summertime, holiday season, the silly season: these are the weeks when the most outrageous driver changes are usually discussed. The big news for the 2027 season is yet to materialise.

Mathias Brunner

Read more

TV program

Live

Silverstone: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

07.08.2026 - 10:55

“Stoner was the opposite of the other riders: he wanted a motorbike that was really wild,” explained Pirro, recalling the time when Michelin took over from Bridgestone and supplied softer tyres: “He could wear out a set of Michelin tyres on his very first lap. It was unbelievable!”

Was Stoner a poor test rider?

After retiring at the end of 2012, Stoner initially returned to MotoGP as a test rider for Honda and later for Ducati. His pace remained exceptional. However, according to Pirro, he reached his limits as a development rider.

“He came back to show off his talent. He wasn’t particularly interested in doing the job of a test rider. He mainly worked for himself. The way he set up the bike, only he could ride it. Lorenzo tested his set-ups and came straight back in. I only rode it for one lap myself,” recalled Pirro.

The main reason lay in Stoner’s unique riding style. Whilst most MotoGP riders rely on electronic assistance systems, the Australian wanted to control the bike almost entirely by himself.

“Stoner wanted full control over the motorbike. Unlike the majority of riders, the throttle and rear brake were his traction control. He didn’t want any electronic riding aids. He didn’t want anti-wheelie control either. He wanted to regulate everything himself.”

For Pirro, therefore, it wasn’t just Stoner’s riding style that was extraordinary, but also the way he described his impressions. The feedback from Jorge Lorenzo or Andrea Dovizioso had been comprehensible to engineers and riders. With Stoner, it had been completely different.

Casey Stoner und Andrea Iannone beim Sepang-Test

Foto: Gold & Goose

“When you spoke to Stoner, it was completely different,” said Pirro. “He’d explain how he took a specific corner. At first I thought that sort of thing was only possible on a PlayStation. But then I looked at the data logs and realised that he actually did it that way. And he did it with such ease. It’s not that Lorenzo or I didn’t try to copy it. But at first, it felt very unnatural.”

Even years after the end of his active career, Stoner was still demonstrating things on the track that no other rider could replicate. “He was still incredibly fast. I saw him doing things that no other rider could copy.”

Why Stoner doesn’t like modern MotoGP bikes

For Pirro, it is therefore clear that Stoner’s extraordinary talent would have less of an impact today than it did in the past. Modern developments have made the motorbikes more predictable and easier to ride.

“In a world without electronic riding aids – or one in which electronics haven’t evolved further – a rider like Stoner can make a huge difference because he’s so sensitive. But development has moved towards safety and less work for the rider. He, on the other hand, rejected all of that: he didn’t want wings, no riding aids, no anti-wheelie systems. His philosophy was completely different.”

Pirro’s comments thus paint a picture of an exceptional talent whose skills were virtually impossible to replicate, even within MotoGP. At the same time, however, they also highlight the dilemma: precisely because Stoner handled a motorbike in a way that no one else could master, his set-up specifications could only be used to a limited extent for the further development of the Ducati.

Casey Stoner kam im Juli zur World Ducati Week nach Misano

Foto: Ducati