MotoGP: Stoner - 'The tyre let go'
Are tyre troubles the root cause of Casey Stoner's trio of tumbles or is the pressure getting a little too much?
Three crashes in three GPs - is Stoner feeling the pressure?
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CASEY STONER'S not had much luck over the last three Grand Prix. A fall while leading the USGP at Laguna Seca, another race-losing off at Brno when he looked set for victory and now a third tumble at Misano. Things are not looking good for the reigning MotoGP World Champion. So what's his problem?
Stoner says his main reason for his trio of mishaps is mainly down to tyres. He blamed his Brno lowside on a knackered front and now says the tyre 'let go' at Misano.
Make of it what you will but isn't it strange that every crash has been made while Stoner's been under pressure from a certain Yamaha-riding Italian? Here's what Casey said about his GP:
CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) DNF
"It is very disappointing for the weekend to end like this after showing such a high level of performance in practice. Basically we took the decision to put one lap on the race tyre in warm-up this morning to get it scrubbed in: we've done it before and not had a problem but today I could feel from the first lap that the grip wasn't right. After a few laps it started to feel better and I was gaining confidence but it let go. It's a real shame but, anyway, we tried hard here and once again I think we've shown we are very fast, we have a great bike and tyres that work fantastically. This gives me confidence for next year and I'm looking forward to it already. As for the injury, it's huge disappointment this problem came out but I'll have to wait until the end of the season for an operation."
Discuss this story
He can say whatever he wants. He is a world champion, remember? It's hard to imagine, a pressure of carrying No.1 on your Ducati, when some guy with No.46 Yamaha wants it back so badly... Rossi was complaining about Michelin all season long last year, but nobody laughed at him... Casey is riding on the edge all season, just look some of his slow-mo's. Where is other factory Ducati? With that guy...whatshisnameexworldchamp Melandri? Nowhere. Casey will fight back. He may not be "The Doctor", but the fighter-he definitly is...
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 11:12
It's hard to imagine, a pressure of carrying No.1 on your Ducati, when some guy with No.46 Yamaha wants it back so badly...
Rossi has never had the No.1 
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 11:32
Rossi was complaining about Michelin all season long last year, but nobody laughed at him...
Whats your point?
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 12:29
Casey is riding on the edge all season, just look some of his slow-mo's.
Yep, true, and then watch the electronics sort it out for him.
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 12:37
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH FUCKING HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!
That just about sums it up for me.Class.
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 15:58
But why did the tyre let go.. Cus he was pushing too hard to get a lead. He knew Vale would be on his arse soon and that he;d have to race again!! Didnt want that to happen!
Do we actually think that Rossi could have pulled the 3 second gap? I dont think he could. He pulled 2/10 at the race before last, but Casey could have just pulled that out again as he has done at other races.
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 16:09
The fact that he may have been able to, i think gave casey enough cause for concern to think "Id best get a big lead so that he cant pull it back" Never doubt what Vale can do. Im not Rossi's biggest fan but you cant deny he's something special. How may people have had a 10 second stop-go penalty and still win by 5 seconds?
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 16:15
I don't know why people are so suprised to see him crumble. He did nothing before he got that bike and it was obvious that he couldn't keep taking the liberties with it like he has been doing. It was obvious that at some point, it was going to bite him back and its about fucking time it cried enough. It has been farcical watching him get away with his ugly, sledge hammer riding style for so long and to be honest, his luck has finally run out. He is falling apart like a cheap watch and I couldn't care less. Watch Perdosa rape him now too now he is on the Bridgestones. Just like he did every single year he raced against him in the lower categories. If the idea put forward by the majority of riders in Brno for no Traction Control for next year is passed by Dorna, we will see the real Casey Stoner. He won't be able to bodge his way through relying on the electronics like he has been doing and I for one will not be suprised if he gets seriously hurt (not that I am wishing that on him at all). But, if he even tries to ride like he does now without TC, he is going to be bitch slapped SOOOO bad.
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 16:39
No one laughed at Rossi because he could ride a poor tyre to its limit and not fall off. Stoners mistake probably shows that he has no feeling for the tyre. Sometimes i think he is just riding on blind faith which will occasionally bite you when its not perfect. I have said before that i think one of Melandri's problems is that he can feel alot more than stoner can and its scaring him. I still dont know if that makes stoner a genius or nutter tho  I know one thing... if i was to list what i thought were the most talented riders on the GP grid at first look Stoner would struggle to get in the top 5 
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 17:12
I still dont know if that makes stoner a genius or nutter tho  Neither, it makes him a throttle monkey!
I know one thing... if i was to list what i thought were the most talented riders on the GP grid at first look Stoner would struggle to get in the top 5 + 1 IMHO - Rossi, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Hayden, Melandri, Capirossi, Hopkins, Edwards, Dovizioso and I'd even go as far as to say that Toesland and Nakano, are all more talented riders than Stoner.
(Don't jump on me about Melandri, his 250 World Championship, for me, holds more water than Stoner's lucky '07 Championship. At least there was an art to what Melandri was doing, not just jumping all over the throttle and letting the computer sort it out.... and as for Nakano, he rode a 500, and was FUCKING FAST on it and was nearly 250 World Champion. Stoner would be paralysed by now if we still had the 500s.)
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 17:25
Laguna seca seems to have fucked with Casey's head more than some thought! I agree and that in itself is what Valentino set out to do! I was watching Faster yesterday (my daughter is obsessed with it and I haven't watched it for a while) and the incident with Biaggi elbowing Vale off the track and the punchup between them after Rossi came back from 14th to cain Max at Catalunya says to me that Rossi IS THE BEST and has raced the best and won. Stoner is a cracking rider, make no mistake, but at this moment in time he is not in it!
Posted: 02/09/2008 at 23:57
Rolling Stoner - The Return!!! "Rossi was complaining about Michelin all season long last year, but nobody laughed at him..." They all fucking laughed at him!, Comments from Stoner / Pedrosa saying Rossi is making out its all about the tyres because hes not winning races, what forsight did Rossi have! I will put my hands up and thought at the beginning of the season "Has he made a mistake going to Bridgestone?" "hell no!" and look whos switched tyres mid-season - Pedrosa! Yes, Stoner is a good rider but he has never apprecitaed that number 1 plate. Rossi is king, long live the king!
Posted: 04/09/2008 at 16:51
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH FUCKING HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!
+1  There he goes again. . .blaming everyone but himself!!
Posted: 04/09/2008 at 17:36
turning point: LAGUNA SECA why: because thats the first time he has had to race the DOC wheel to wheel realisation: If Rossi gets within 2 seconds of him, hes in the shit reaction: push and push to ride on his own, cus he can do the lap times when "on his own" and traction control or not he's the fucker twisting the wrist, and even though i dont like him, he has got to be respected for that at least result: he's pushing too hard and running out of talent, simple
Posted: 04/09/2008 at 19:29
this is turning into an anti Stoner thread. Carry on.
Posted: 04/09/2008 at 20:34
mentally he is beaten and its starting to show riding beyond his talent !
Posted: 04/09/2008 at 20:36
turning point: LAGUNA SECA why: because thats the first time he has had to race the DOC wheel to wheel
I agree Last year Rossi didn't have the chance to be on his tail because he had major tyre issues, technical problems and to top it off some really bad luck at times. That's the only reason Stoner won the title last year. Now, after Rossi has took the time to get used to racing with the Bridgestones, and has a reliable machine, look where he is...right on Stoners ass, putting the pressure on him. This would have happened last year if it wasn't for the reason's listed above. Rossi broke Stoner at Laguna Seca, CS probably believed himself to be "unbeatable" and then it all went to shit when VR did what he did. I've no doubt that to get where he is today and to Lap as fast as he does, CS is a talented guy, but the GP veterans are in another league. They could handle the 990's with much less electronics...look who spent more time in the gravel going end over end than on the tarmac......Stoner. "SHIT! PRESS THE RESET BUTTON QUICK!!!"
Posted: 05/09/2008 at 00:53
That photo is class. How many people would have the knowledge, the skill, and above all, the bottle to hit the gravel for an overtake at that speed and cranked over?
Posted: 05/09/2008 at 10:38
That photo is class. How many people would have the knowledge, the skill, and above all, the bottle to hit the gravel for an overtake at that speed and cranked over?
1
Posted: 05/09/2008 at 10:54
Nakano, Toseland, Hopkins and Edwards better then Stoner? Are you lot on fucking drugs or what? LOL ! There is one rider better then Stoner and thats Rossi. Rossi had to change a lot of things to match, let alone beat the Stoner/Ducati/Stones combo. He had to change fuck all to beat the rest of the puddings. Says it all for me. I reckon if you asked VR who his greatest rival has ever been I think he'd put Stoner up there before all of them, christ he handed Rossi his arse on a plate last year. What more do you want from the kid? Nakano better then Stoner, just fucking lol.
Posted: 05/09/2008 at 22:43
What Kirklet said. Hopkins and Edwards made me laugh a lot!
Posted: 06/09/2008 at 02:45
Bah, I guess we'll have to disagree there Mr Drink. Imho you don't beat the greatest rider of all time and in such a comprehensive manner and be short on talent. Too suggest anybody other then VR is that much more talented then Casey Stoner is just rhubarb. He is if anything as quick a rider for one lap as I've ever seen, is that not a reflection of his talent? In a few of the races last year when Rossi was able to compete with Stoner (I'm thinking Catalunya, Qatar for example), Stoner was put under the most extreme of pressure and bested Rossi both times. Catalunya was a friggin classic race, a better race then Laguna imho. Is that not a reflection of Stoners talent? Who else would of beat Rossi at Catalunya last year? Pedrosa's bike was as good(or bad) as Rossi's bike last year and he came out 3rd best to both Rossi and Stoner in that race. Just like to add that im a huge Rossi fan (my cat is called Rossi  ) but all this Stoner bashing is getting a bit tiresome to read now. Yeh he's a stroppy bastid, his teeth stick out a bit too much and his wifes far too good looking but if you took him out the MotoGP calendar right ow I doubt I'd even watch the races, such is the difference in class between Rossi/Stoner and the rest of them, even the more talented ones ! 
Posted: 06/09/2008 at 16:52
I'm not going to defend Stoner here, but we all give him a load of grief about how good the Ducati is. The rider has a lot to do wth the development of the bike and Ducati seemed to get the best out of their bike with Stoner on board. The fact he can bang the thrrottle open, shows that he's got the confidence in what he's riding to do that and the team have built him a bike that suits his style. It's the same with the Yamaha, they've built a bike that suits Rossi - look at Lorenzo, he's trying to ride the Yamaha the same as Stoner does the Ducati and ends up in orbit at some point in most races.
Posted: 06/09/2008 at 17:15
Who are these other riders that you speak off? Everybody has capitulated to VR for the last decade. Hayden's championship winning year was something of an odd ball season , what with all the injuries to his main rivals etc. And explain Stoner's demolition of everybody at Donnington over the last two years then? What was he lacking there that all these 'other' riders you speak of possess? And his race long fairing to fairing battle with Rossi at Catalunya last year and subsequent romping of the title. I know he enjoyed a machine advantage but then so did the other Ducati riders. It just doesn't make sense, Stoner's talent is second only to VR. I'd put him ahead of Pedrosa when it comes to a fairing to fairing race any day of the week ! I really can't recall too many people putting up with that sort of pressure over a race distance with Rossi and coming out on top, possibly Elias at Estoril in 2006 was the last guy to withstand and get the better of a flying Rossi over a race distance.
Posted: 07/09/2008 at 17:25
What about Pedrosa dueling it out with Rossi last season in what was the best race of the year? true he didnt win it but he sure showed twice the race craft stoner has ever shown. Dont get me wrong, im not putting down Stoners pace....he is incredibly fast but he hasnt proved himself to be an all round racer yet. he only has one thing on his mind and thats to pummel the others but when the bike isnt working or all of a sudden another rider is as fast it seems he cant cope with it. He starts overriding the bike.
Posted: 07/09/2008 at 20:50
Hayden's championship winning year was something of an odd ball season
What and last year wasn't?!?! The Yamaha and Honda were shit, Michelin started to fuck up, it was the transitional year to the 800s and Ducati had a RIDICULOUSLY fast bike.(which they still have)
Like I said, Stoner did nothing before he got that bike. He has learnt to adapt to heavily relying on rider aids. If he swaps manufacturers and wins, fair enough, but for me, that is what he has to do to become a so called "great". Pissing yourself laughing at Nakano?? Hang on a minute, he was nearly a 250 World Champion (beaten by Jacque in the last race of the season) and he was very fast on a 500. Stoner, on the other hand, won a handful of races in the 125s (which he moaned about being dangerous because of corner speeds and agressive riding - where have we heard that before??) and 250s. Pedrosa used to beat him readily on an under powered Honda, in a class where the electronics don't play a part.
I just hope that they ban electronic aids next year, then we will see how many of you are still saying he is such a good rider.
Posted: 08/09/2008 at 10:06
Aaah, the old electronic aids argument bobs up to the surface. That would explain why only Stoner could ride the Ducati and none of the others Ducati riders have even come close to matching him. I'm guessing that your putting Capirossi, Melandri and Elias, possibly even Barros in the 'more talented then Stoner' list? And by your logic, Nakano having nearly won something and being fast on a 500 but still not actually winning anything, is clearly a more talented rider then the buck teethed wonder? Who not only managed to wipe the floor with Rossi last year at both tracks with straights and also at the twisty ones, christ he even beat Rossi at Catalunya, a real riders circuit. Fairing to fairing for 4 or 5 corners at one point in the race !
Posted: 08/09/2008 at 22:17
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