Rider: Casey Stoner
Nationality: Australian
Team: Ducati Marlboro
Machine: Ducati Desmosedici GP8 (#27)
Born: October 16, 1985 in Sourthport, Australia
Between the ages of 6 and 14 Casey Stoner won 41 Australian dirt and long track titles and over 70 State titles. After his 14th birthday his family moved to England to take advantage of the younger legal road racing age, a decision that soon catapult the rider into the professional limelight.
In 2006 the 20-years-old Stoner joined the MotoGP Championship after racking up wins in the 250 and 125 brackets. His rookie season for LCR Honda included a second-place podium finish and a pole-position victory. That was the good news. The bad news came when Stoner developed a penchant for crashing his machinery. Stoner's DNFs didn't stop him from finishing a very respectable eighth in the title chase, however.
In 2007 Casey Stoner joined the Ducati Marlboro Team. Aside from stepping up to full factory supported Desmosedici GP7, he also benefited from new tires (Bridgestone instead of Michelin) and the advice of his veteran teammate Loris Capirossi. On March 10, 2007, at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, Stoner won the first grand prix of the season, the first ever 800cc grand prix, and had his first win in the MotoGP class. After that the young Australian took nine other wins, four further podium finishes and five pole positions. On September 23rd, in Japan, Stoner secured Ducati’s first MotoGP World Championship becoming the first rider in over 30 years to win the MotoGP title on a European made bike and the second youngest premier-class World Champion, after American legend Freddie
Spencer who won his title in 1983, and at the time was 84 days younger than the 21 year old Stoner. Stoner even made Valentino Rossi look inept. An unthinkable situation heading into the '07 season.
The following year Stoner set out to defend his title and began his quest with a fantastic victory in the first GP to be held at night, in Qatar, but this was followed by a series of highs and lows that saw him lose ground in the classification. Nevertheless Stoner continued to work tirelessly with his team until a breakthrough came during the tests following the Catalunya GP when the Ducati technicians identified a method to maximise the potential of the GP8. Three consecutive victories followed in the UK, The Netherlands and Germany but then, after the hard-fought podium at Laguna Seca, two falls at Brno and Misano, and a physical problem caused by the reopening of an old fracture to his left wrist, the defense of the title seemed impossible. Improvement towards the end of the season with two podiums and another two convincing wins, in Australia and at the final round in Valencia, meant that Stoner closed the season as the vice-champion of 2008 with the highest ever points score.
Career Highlights:
2008 - 2nd MotoGP (Ducati)
2007 - 1st MotoGP (Ducati)
2006 - 8th MotoGP (Honda)
2005 - 2nd 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2004 - 5th 125 MotoGP (KTM)
2003 - 8th 125 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2002 - 12th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2001 - 2nd 125 UK Series(Honda)
2001 - 2nd 125 Spanish Series(Honda)
2000 - 1st Aprilia Challenge UK (Aprilia)
