Analysed: Valentino Rossi's dangle and Casey Stoner's middle-finger brake

Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, TNT Sports brought together former MotoGP riders Cal Crutchlow, Neil Hodgson and James Toseland to talk riding style evolution in the premier class.

Among the riding styles analysed were MotoGP icons Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, whose techniques bridged the gap between the previous 500cc two-strokes and extreme cornering styles used today…

Valentino Rossi: The Doctor’s dangle

The purpose of the leg dangle under hard braking, pioneered by Rossi and still used throughout top-level motorcycle racing, was brought up by host Gavin Emmett:

“Valentino started to do it, then a few more people started to do it, then everyone does it now,” said Hodgson. “Genuinely, I know I'm going to sound old, I still don't really understand what the benefits are.

“Cal, you've been dangling your leg for 10 years now, talk me through why it’s better.”

Crutchlow answered: “I genuinely believe it's like a panic thing. When you're a kid on a bicycle and you weren't going to stop, the first thing you do is you put your foot on the floor.

“I think that current motorcycle riders are so on the limit, the first thing they do is they brake and then put their foot out, thinking this might not end well!”

Fellow world champion Toseland, who now commentates on the World Superbike championship, offered another perspective from speaking with Toprak Razgatlioglu:

“I never used to do it, I was old school, but I was talking to Toprak about it. Toprak is one of the taller lads, like Valentino, and he said it was a lot more comfortable on braking if he took that leg off for a little bit.

“It's always the inside leg as well, so the wind hitting that leg pulls the bike in to the corner. Also he said it takes a lot of weight off my arms when I brake because the wind force pushes my torso back.

“But the biggest thing for him is because that rear wheel is never on the floor on the hard braking, so he says, ‘I know that that rear tyre is going to come down sometimes not in line. And then it's going to hop and snap.’

“If he's got that leg out there, it's like a cat's tail. As soon as he comes down and it snaps, he's got that leg to support the bike, counteract the movement and balance. You’ve got that leverage.”

Hodgson: “One thing we can agree on is that Valentino changed the way people ride motorcycles.”

Stoner: “Incredible. A pure animal on a motorcycle”

The conversation then moved on to Stoner, Ducati’s first MotoGP champion in 2007 and one of the most naturally talented riders of the modern era.

Toseland: “We’re talking about braking and [Stoner] used to brake just with his middle finger! I could never do that. Did you guys ever try it?”

“No, never,” said Hodgson. “There were lots of things that Stoner did that I never tried! He was just incredible. A pure animal on a motorcycle.

“When he won his first World championship on the Ducati in 2007, he made the difference. It's rare that you see a rider completely make the difference like that. 

"He destroyed his team-mates, a bit like Marquez has done moving forward in riding style.

“But Stoner just looked so confident with the rear sliding. He was almost like [Kevin] Schwantz in the way he would have the bike loose, that aggressive style of turning the bike with the throttle, but he combined it with a new school riding style.

“He was able to make that [Ducati] turn, with his riding style.”

Crutchlow, who raced against Rossi and Stoner during his ten-year MotoGP career, then talked through some of their riding techniques while lapping Silverstone on a Superbike.

“Casey was a rider who was always quite neutral in the middle of the bike, but he leaned the bike over so much that he was so close to the floor compared to the other riders,” said the Englishman.

“Valentino and Casey at the time - and I think it was a lot to do with the tyres - were halfway to the [current] style of riders like Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia or Jorge Martin that are really leaning off the bike now.”

Afterwards, the Yamaha MotoGP test rider joked: “It’s been about 15 years since I rode a Superbike, so trying to emulate the riding styles of these champions - I was more like Mike Hailwood out there than Valentino Rossi or Casey Stoner!”