Casey Stoner

Casey Stoner

PERSONAL DETAILS
NAME: CASEY STONER
TEAM: DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM
NATIONALITY: AUSTRALIAN
DATE OF BIRTH: 16/10/1985
MARRIED: MARRIED

Casey Stoner stunned the MotoGP paddock by storming to victory, on his Ducati debut, at the 2007 Qatar season opener - and his rivals arguably never recovered.

By the end of only his second season in MotoGP, Stoner and his powerful Desmosedici had won 10 races, taken 14 podiums and lifted his and Ducati's first world title with a season's worst sixth place at the wet/dry Japanese Grand Prix, round 15 of 18.

The 22-year-old's faultless 2007 performances - when he finished every race - were in complete contrast to his rookie 2006 season, when he failed to finish seven GPs for the satellite Honda LCR team.

Stoner had hinted at his future stardom by finishing sixth in his first ever premier-class race - despite missing the final pre-season tests due to surgery - then took pole position next time out and a debut podium, just 0.2secs behind race winner Marco Melandri, in his third ever MotoGP race.

Unfortunately for Casey, that second place marked his first and last podium of the 2006 season, with accidents dropping him steadily down the championship standings to eighth by the season's end.

Despite his 'incidents', Lucio Cecchinello had hoped to retain Stoner for a second season, but Casey was chasing a factory ride and - while negotiations with Yamaha broke down early - his raw speed was enough to convince Ducati to take the considerable gamble of signing him over the experienced Sete Gibernau, a double MotoGP World Championship runner-up.

Stoner was thus partnered with Loris Capirossi for the first season of 800cc racing and the rest is history. With Ducati legend Capirossi completely overshadowed by the Australian, taking only one win, Loris will be replaced by fellow Italian Marco Melandri for 2008 - when Stoner will proudly ride with the #1 plate.

Casey and his family's commitment to achieving his goal of a world championship is hard to fault. After uprooting themselves from their native Kurri-Kurri on Australia's idyllic Gold Coast, they spent time in Britain establishing Stoner as a European name. After dominating Aussie dirt bike riding as a kid, they knew Europe was the place to be to further his career. It was a risk as well as a sacrifice - and the gamble paid off.

In 2001 Stoner finished second overall in two highly regarded championships, the Spanish and British 125cc series, and it from here that he continued to shine as a rider when the careers of many other hopefuls have stalled. Then Cecchinello stepped in to guide him, recruiting him to his Aprilia 250 squad for 2002 where he finished 12th overall in his first full GP season, took a debut win in his second season - after switching to the 125cc class - before taking another 125cc win the following year, for the factory KTM team.

A switch back to Cecchinello, Aprilia and 250cc for 2005 yielded five wins and second in the championship behind Dani Pedrosa - enough to convince Honda to hand him a satellite RC211V for 2006.


Career highlights:

1989 & 1999: 41 wins in Australian dirt bike Championships
2000: 1st British Aprilia RS 125 Challenge
2001: 2nd Spanish 125cc Championship, 2nd British 125cc Championship
2002: 12th 250cc World Championship Aprilia
2003: 8th 125cc World Championship Aprilia
2004: 5th 125cc World Championship KTM
2005: 2nd 250cc World Championship Aprilia
2006: 8th MotoGP World Championship Honda
2007: 1st MotoGP World Championship Ducati

END OF 2007.
STARTS: N/A
WINS: 10 (MOTOGP) 5 (250CC) 2 (125CC)
POLES: 6 (MOTOGP) 10 (250CC) 10 (125CC)
FASTEST LAPS: 6 (MOTOGP) 1 (250CC) 3 (125CC)
POINTS: N/A
DEBUT: SPA 2006 (MOTOGP)
DRIVEN FOR: DUCATI MARLBORO (2007/2008) / HONDA LCR (2006)

Stoner fixes wrist surgery date

Stoner has continued racing despite the discomfort in his left wrist
Casey Stoner will have surgery on his left wrist almost as soon as the MotoGP season ends in Valencia on 26 October.

The 2007 MotoGP champion originally broke a scaphoid bone in 2003, but the injury has never healed properly.

"The operation has to be done," said he Australian. "We are lucky we found it now. I will be ready to mount a better attack (for the title) next year."

Stoner, 23, could clinch second place in the standings in this weekend's Malaysian GP at Sepang.

Newly-crowned champion Valentino Rossi has 332 points, with Stoner on 245 - 36 points ahead of third-placed Dani Pedrosa.

Stoner is expected to test his 2009 Ducati bike for two days after the final race of the season in Spain and then undergo surgery.

He added: "It'll take about three months to come good.

"But we should have that amount of time before testing starts next year and then we should be a little bit more competitive."

Big news on Casey

LMAO!!
I needed that.. Thanks!!

LMAO @ moron of the year

yeah.........i was a bit worried no one had posted on here yet thought we might be a bit too well mannered on the new forum.............its only a matter of time before KC brings out the worst in us.........BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKC!

now nina

i think he brings out the best in us

its all in your perspective

perfect tamm lets go with that...............

he he he....................


even the marshall is taunting him "LOOOOOOSER"................

Oh poor Casey..

He's just misunderstood

his bike stopped front of us in Brno,

boy what he got...

everyone was cheering and waving bye bye Casey!!

this is a Dsquared t-shirt from 2005..

no comment...

omg i wrote BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKCOFF! BUT I MUST HAVE PRESSED PREVIEW INSTEAD OF SEND!!!!!!!! phew it still worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol nina
its the thought that counts