Casey Stoner reveals importance of Honda MotoGP title after Ducati “criticism”

Casey Stoner says there was a lack of belief in his own talent before he won his second MotoGP title.

Stoner’s 2011 title came four years after his first MotoGP crown in 2007 with Ducati. The Ducati title came with baggage: Ducati's engine was the strongest in the early days of the 800cc regulations, and the Bridgestone tyres Ducati used were superior to the Michelins used by its rivals.

To Stoner, the attention on the bike's strengths reflected a lack of appreciation for his own talent. By winning with Honda in his first year there he feels he was able to prove his own ability.

“I had a lot of criticism for a long time,” Casey Stoner told MotoGP.com.

“Because of the engine of Ducati everyone was thinking that I was on the best bike. People weren’t believing in my talent, they were believing in the power of Ducati and the bike, and the only reason I had success was because of that. 

“So, to go to Honda who hadn’t had success for a long time, and we went there and won a championship for them, almost like what we did with Ducati: they didn’t win a championship, and we arrived and we won. 

“We did the same with Honda and it was a great deal of pride for me. 

“I don’t just win championships for myself. Win or lose, it’s a team. I ride with those people on my shoulder.”

Stoner’s 2011 title also came in unique circumstances. Not only was the race a strange one with rain falling midway through, resulting in a series of crashes, but there was also the late withdrawal from the race of Jorge Lorenzo after the top of his left ring finger was lost in a Warm Up crash which meant Stoner had an unexpected chance to win the title at his home grand prix on his birthday.

“To win a world championship at your home grand prix, on your birthday; I think it was my fifth race in a row there that I won, my second world championship,” he reflected.

“All these things happen in one day at your home track – I think there’s not anyone else in history that can say they had all of this happen in one day.”

Stoner added: “It was a very complicated day. Unfortunately Jorge Lorenzo crashed in morning Warm Up and injured his finger, and decided not to take part in the race.

“When he didn’t start the race, it changed completely my mindset: I went from ‘I want to win this race regardless’ to ‘I just want to finish inside the top-four to take the championship’.

“Because of the conditions that day, in the dry I was comfortably, we knew we were going to win, but three-quarters of the way through the race it started to rain and I nearly crashed – lots of people crashed. 

“Then I’m going ‘Well, I’m not taking the risk because we need to win this championship, we need to get it done’. 

“But then you also have the want to win the race, so there was a real battle in my mind of ‘How much do I push? How much do I risk?’ 

“So, it was quite hard to find the balance and bring the bike home.”