MOTOGP » CASEY STONER
CAREER
Two successive falls from the lead may have ended Casey Stoner's realistic hopes of retaining his MotoGP crown in 2008, but the young Australian once again displayed incredible speed - and a unique ability to master the Desmosedici GP8.
The 2007 world champion won the first and last races of this season, plus four other victories to finish the year runner-up to Valentino Rossi, whom Stoner notably lost out to during a thrilling US GP battle - then fell whilst leading at the next two rounds.
After winning the first ever MotoGP night race at Qatar, Stoner had taken just one podium from the next four rounds, leaving him 41 points behind Rossi. However, technical changes prompted a seemingly unstoppable fight-back that took Stoner to within 20 points of Rossi heading into the pivotal Laguna Seca race.
After his double disaster at Brno and Misano, Stoner - by now diagnosed with a wrist injury - returned to the podium at round 14 in Japan. Stoner then won in front of his home fans at Phillip Island before handing Ducati second place in the constructors' championship with victory over home hero Dani Pedrosa at Valencia.
Stoner was the only Ducati rider to win a race in 2008 and claimed all but two of the Desmosedici's 2008 podiums. Casey's nine pole positions and nine fastest laps were more than any other rider and he outscored beleaguered team-mate Marco Melandri, himself a former MotoGP World Championship runner-up, by a huge 229 points.
Stoner entered the MotoGP class with the satellite Honda LCR team in 2006 and hinted at his future stardom by finishing sixth in his first ever premier-class race - despite missing the final pre-season tests due to surgery - then took pole position next time out and a debut podium, just 0.2secs behind race winner Marco Melandri, in his third ever MotoGP race.
Unfortunately for Casey, that second place marked his first and last podium of the 2006 season, with accidents dropping him steadily down the championship standings to eighth by the season's end.
Despite his 'incidents', Lucio Cecchinello had hoped to retain Stoner for a second season, but Casey was chasing a factory ride and - while negotiations with Yamaha broke down early - his raw speed was enough to convince Ducati to take the considerable gamble of signing him over the experienced Sete Gibernau, a double MotoGP World Championship runner-up.
Stoner was thus partnered with Loris Capirossi for the first season of 800cc racing and the rest is history: Stoner stunned the MotoGP paddock by storming to victory, on his Ducati debut, at the 2007 Qatar season opener - and his rivals arguably never recovered.
By the end of only his second season in MotoGP, Stoner and his powerful Desmosedici had won 10 races, taken 14 podiums and lifted his and Ducati's first world title with a season's worst sixth place at the wet/dry Japanese Grand Prix, round 15 of 18.
Casey and his family's commitment to achieving his goal of a world championship is hard to fault. After uprooting themselves from their native Kurri-Kurri on Australia's idyllic Gold Coast, they spent time in Britain establishing Stoner as a European name. After dominating Aussie dirt bike riding as a kid, they knew Europe was the place to be to further his career. It was a risk as well as a sacrifice - and the gamble paid off.
In 2001 Stoner finished second overall in two highly regarded championships, the Spanish and British 125cc series, and it from here that he continued to shine as a rider when the careers of many other hopefuls have stalled. Then Cecchinello stepped in to guide him, recruiting him to his Aprilia 250 squad for 2002 where he finished 12th overall in his first full GP season, took a debut win in his second season - after switching to the 125cc class - before taking another 125cc win the following year, for the factory KTM team.
A switch back to Cecchinello, Aprilia and 250cc for 2005 yielded five wins and second in the championship behind Dani Pedrosa - enough to convince Honda to hand him a satellite RC211V for 2006.
Stoner will be partnered by fellow former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden at the Ducati Marlboro Team in 2009.
Career highlights:- 1989 & 1999: 41 wins in Australian dirt bike Championships
- 2000: 1st British Aprilia RS 125 Challenge
- 2001: 2nd Spanish 125cc Championship, 2nd British 125cc Championship
- 2002: 12th 250cc World Championship Aprilia
- 2003: 8th 125cc World Championship Aprilia
- 2004: 5th 125cc World Championship KTM
- 2005: 2nd 250cc World Championship Aprilia
- 2006: 8th MotoGP World Championship Honda
- 2007: 1st MotoGP World Championship Ducati – 10 wins
- 2008: 2nd MotoGP World Championship Ducati – 6 wins
