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What if Casey Stoner Didn't Miss 3 Races?

Monday, October 26, 2009

Team-mate Casey Stoner watching from pit wall.

If Casey Stoner could have spent the entire 2009 MotoGP season in the saddle instead of on the sidelines, would The Doctor already have the title wrapped up?

What if Marlboro Ducati’s Casey Stoner didn’t miss three races this season? Would Valentino Rossi already have the 2009 MotoGP championship wrapped up with a race still to go? Stoner has been the hottest rider of the MotoGP paddock since his return from a midseason malady, with two race wins and one second-place finish to his credit. Stoner was third in the championship points’ race when he had to pull out, 37-points behind Rossi while trailing Jorge Lorenzo by a meager 12-points for second.

“We can’t ask for anything more after the season we have had. These last three races back have been close enough to perfect, and we were just one result away from perfection at Portugal which is always a difficult circuit for us anyway,” Stoner said.

Even when he started suffering from the funk, Stoner was still able to compete at a high level and win points. He was third in Assen, 4th at Laguna Seca, and 4th at Sachsenring though he was already suffering from fatigue and was riding at far less than 100%. In the three races that Stoner missed, Rossi won two of them.

Stoner currently has 220 points. Rossi has 286, with Lorenzo squeezed in between at 245 points. If Stoner won all three of the races he missed, he’d be sitting at 295 points, and the final race at Valencia would all of a sudden have some significance.

But that’s the nature of the beast that is motorcycle roadracing. Winning often is a combination of skill and luck. Hopefully Stoner can stay healthy next year so that we can see the best battle to the end. Until then, congratulations Valentino Rossi on winning your seventh title in the premiere class and ninth overall GP crown.

Post Tags: MotoGP, Casey Stoner, Marlboro Ducati, Valentino Rossi, MotoGP World Champion

Blog Archive

2009: Jan; Feb; Mar; Apr; May; Jun; Jul; Aug; Sep; Oct; Nov; Dec

2008: Jan; Feb; Mar; Apr; May; Jun; Jul; Aug; Sep; Oct; Nov; Dec

Comments

Mitch - Bryan Harley Blog October 29, 2009 07:17 AM
Sorry, but comparatively, Bryan posts more articles than the other staff on this site. At least it seems that way to me. Wondering if he needs the cash and gets paid per article. Or enjoys the face time and needs the attention. Either way I'm suffering from Bryan overload... and as soon as I see his name I skip whatever he writes.

x2468 - hopper October 28, 2009 01:07 PM
I didn't see the big issue with Harleys blog post on Hopkins. There wasn't anything in there that was offensive or rude. Anyone who doesn't think Hopkins has had a set of unfortunate years is in denial. People question and speculate on the career choices of athletes all the time. The press criticized Stoner heavily for taking 3 races off. Luckily he came back and did so well. But none of the websites protected stoner out of fear that someone in his family might read it and take offense to it. These are called BLOGS for a reason. They're just OPINIONS and THOUGHTS.

x2468 - this is what would happen. October 28, 2009 01:00 PM
If stoner hadn't taken those 3 races off he probably would have came in 3rd-5th for all 3 of them, plus he would have came in 3rd-5th in the last three races as well. Well maybe a 2nd in phillip island cuz it's his home, but definetly 5th or higher in the humidity and subsequent rainy weather of malaysia. And in the case he would have been at the same or lower than last year. But guys, don't be so mean to Harley. It's a legitimate question. I just think that assuming Stoner would have won the 3 races he skipped is a bit flawed.

SICKWITHIT - STONER October 27, 2009 02:01 PM
Well, if you ask me, in the third race that Stoner missed in Misano the action probably would have happened. You see, Stoner, quite possibly, might have tried to take the hole shot on Rossi. Conceivably slowing the race, which perhaps would have made it probable for Melandri to plausbly hang on to Lorenzo's heels. Presumably opening a chance double pass for Melandri. Assumably leading to a chance three bike pile up of Melandri, Rossi, and Lorenzo. Expediently handing the title over to Stoner. If.

mississippi george - what if...? October 27, 2009 10:40 AM
casey would still be sick and finishing mid-pack as he was before his treatments.

Denis T - yea but... October 27, 2009 08:12 AM
The last time Harley started spouting off about road racing he wrote a silly, uneducated article about John Hopkins and managed to upset John's mother so much she felt compelled (rightly) to write in. This is another example of why he should he should stick to what he knows (sucking up to, and writing PR puff pieces for custom chopper builders).

What if? - What if? - RE: Denis T - What if cruiser writers stuck to what they know October 26, 2009 10:12 PM
Pointless...maybe, but the point was a hypothetical, and these hypotheticals always tend to flood the forums in arguments, pointless arguments at that. I do see your point though...again, no need to bash the editors, just because 'ol Harley writes under the cruiser umbrella does not mean he is not surrounded in all categories of the 2wheel world.

What if? - What if? - RE: irksome - Ummm... October 26, 2009 10:05 PM
Let's not get ahead of ourselves and start attacking MotoUSA editors, we should be thanking these editors for their continued coverage...But let me say this about your Harley comment. HarleyD did not "kill" Buell, HarleyD failed in their own path in continuing to produce their over priced dinosaur bikes with glossy paint jobs...I mean if the Big4 still produced race sportbikes that mirrored Agostini's era, would you buy their bikes? Boxy bodies, skinny tires, and less HP that your high school buddies 70's VW...that essentially is what HarleyD continues to do...sorry to offend the cruiser crowd, but seriously! You cruiser peeps SHOULD be offended that the manufacturer you all stay so loyal to is building out dated crap (excuse the french). I mean, the movie Top Gun was one of the most successful films to date, but that doesn't mean theatres should still be playing it today, right? They should have taken after KTM and slashed numerous models to KEEP Buell, because Buell is their innovation and the most R&D they have had since, well...HarleyD was born. Why is it that Dirt bikes and sportbikes continue to develop every 2-4 years, and Harley waits? What are they waiting for?! Man, if I were CEO, I'd clean house...

irksome - Ummm... October 26, 2009 07:22 PM
What if monkeys flew out of my butt? Hypothetical mutterings of a bored cruiser editor who's afraid to p!ss off Harley for the crime of killing Buell.

Denis T - What if cruiser writers stuck to what they know October 26, 2009 05:55 PM
Then we would get this kind of pointless "article"

What if? - What if? October 26, 2009 03:04 PM
What if...Bayliss never retired? What if Carmichael never retired? What if Stewart raced Outdoors? What would happen if our Premier MotoGP series had no satellite squads, and fielded 25 or so riders on Factory ONLY teams to bridge the gaps...and they are FAR gaps, because we know the talent is there. Oh yes...what if

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