Casey Stoner

Casey Stoner has consistently run at the front of the pack since his move to MotoGP, making Stoner a rider to watch in Grand Prix racing.

Between the ages of six and fourteen 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 would soon catapult the rider into the professional limelight.

In 2006 20-year-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 DNF's didn't stop him from finishing a very respectable eighth in the title chase, however.

In 2007 Stoner joined the Ducati Marlboro Team. Aside from stepping up to a 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 more wins, four podium finishes and five pole positions. On September 23rd in Japan Stoner secured Ducati’s first MotoGP World Championship, becoming the first rider in more than 30 years to win the MotoGP title on a European made bike. He was also 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 21-year-old Stoner. The Aussie 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 held at night in Qatar. However, this was followed by a series of highs and lows which saw him lose ground. Nevertheless, Stoner continued to work with his team until a breakthrough came during tests following the Catalunya GP, when Ducati technicians identified a method to maximize the potential of the GP8. Three consecutive victories followed in the UK, The Netherlands and Germany. But then disappointment followed with two falls at Brno and Misano, and a physical injury which caused the reopening of an old fracture to his left wrist. As a result the defense of his title seemed out of question. Improvement towards the end of the season with two podiums and another two wins meant that Stoner closed the season in second overall.

In 2009 Stoner campaigned the Ducati to four wins and eight podiums, but sat out races at the end of the year due to fatigue and a mysterious illness. With the title out of reach, Stoner returned to end the year fourth in the championship.

During the early half of the 2010 season Stoner struggled with his Desmosedici. The Aussie secured his first podium of the season at Assen, and afterwards Stoner saw much improvement. His first of three wins in '10 took place at Aragon, and ultimately Stoner finished the series in fourth.

The 2011 season marked Stoner's return to Honda, this time with the HRC factory backed Repsol squad. The 2011 campaign was a return to Stoner's dominating 2007 form, the Australian cruising to his second career title.

Stoner continued with Repsol through the 2012 season, riding the now 1000cc RC213V. Battling for his third premier class title, Stoner shocked the paddock at Le Mans with news of his retirement at the end of the season.