Casey Stoner’s MotoGP riding style considered “impossible” by Ducati veteran

Casey Stoner’s MotoGP riding style has been described as “impossible” to comprehend by Ducati testing veteran Michele Pirro.

Pirro, a grand prix winner in his own right, has been Ducati’s MotoGP test rider for well over a decade by now, but he shared testing duties with Stoner briefly in the mid-2010s.

Stoner would ultimately leave the testing role citing a lack of interest from the Ducati engineers in his inputs, but the Australian made an impact while he was there.

Particularly on Pirro, who was blown away by the way unique way in which Stoner rode. 

“Stoner wanted to have complete control over the bike,” Michele Pirro said, speaking on the Mig Babol podcast as reported by GPOne. 

“Unlike the vast majority of riders, he personally managed the traction control using the throttle and rear brake. 

“He didn’t want electronic controls, and he didn’t even want anti-wheelie. For him, riding meant doing everything on his own.

“When he explained how he tackled certain corners, it almost seemed like he was describing something impossible. 

“Talking with Lorenzo or Dovizioso, I could relate to their instructions. When you talked with Stoner, it was completely different.

“He’d tell you how he took a corner, and at first you’d think it was something you’d only see on a PlayStation. 

“Then you’d look at the data and discover that he really did it that way, and he did it with incredible ease. 

“It’s not that Lorenzo or I didn’t try to imitate him, but for us it felt unnatural.”

Stoner had been able to return to riding in recent years but ran into health problems at the end of 2025.

Earlier this year, he underwent surgery on his back to address pain he’d been enduring since a crash when he was racing in the 125cc World Championship in 2003.