Casey Stoner promises to fight for Phillip Island MotoGP return

Casey Stoner, arguably the best motorcycle rider ever around the Phillip Island track, has blasted MotoGP’s decision to remove one of the most iconic circuits from the calendar.

For those who might not have heard, MotoGP is set to leave Phillip Island after this season, which has hosted the Aussie GP since 1997. 

MotoGP is set to move the Australian Grand Prix to a new street circuit in Adelaide, which has yet to be built, and could lead to around 400 trees being felled in the area. 

For new MotoGP fans, hearing that the sport is heading to a new venue, and one that’s expected to be considerably different to any other track currently used, is likely to sound exciting.

But for someone like Stoner, who won at Phillip Island six times on the bounce in MotoGP, seeing the legendary venue removed is “massively” disappointing.

Speaking to former MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen as part of a YouTube interview previewing this year’s race, Stoner said this about the decision:

“Disappointment, massively. I honestly never thought that Phillip Island would be taken off the calendar.

“I understand that some things need to change in Phillip Island. It needs a bit of a revamp of the pits and this sort of area. And we need to sort of make the event a little different, I suppose, to add a bit more of a spruce to it.

“But year after year, it produces some of the greatest racing you'll ever see. And to take that sort of thing off the calendar is very, very surprising for me and to replace it with a street circuit isn't something I really agree with.”

Stoner’s last point is a very valid one, especially since safety is something MotoGP, and many other championships in motorsport, have continued to try and improve in recent years.

However, the idea that a street circuit will be completely safe for MotoGP riders is something that’s a little difficult to wrap one’s head around. 

Stoner, who says he will fight to have MotoGP remain at Phillip Island, added:

“We're pretty forward-spoken about the safety of sport and things that get overlooked for a spectacle. And these guys lives are on the line.

“We don't have four walls around us [like a car]. We don’t have a cockpit. As soon as something goes wrong, you lock a brake, generally you go down and it can get horribly nasty.

“[Or] you get a bit of an oil spill, guys don't expect it. Then you've got the wet, which when you hit the ground it’s almost like you speed up, there's nothing to really slow you down. There's plenty to look at in that sort of space.

“For Phillip Island to be off the calendar is just extremely disappointing for me and it's something I'll be fighting to get back on the calendar.”

Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown