Red Bull Motorsports
MotoGP
What's so special about Casey Stoner?
Where to begin? How about with two of the people who've worked closest with the Aussie in his career
Casey Stoner is preparing to bring the curtain down on his MotoGP career in the final race of the 2012 campaign at Valencia next weekend, and it'll be one of the landmark moments in the sport's recent history.
At 27 years of age his is a career that has already spanned 11 seasons in the World Championship, the last seven of which have been spent in the MotoGP class. In that time Stoner has won two titles – one in 2007 with Ducati and one in 2011 with Honda – both of which came with his current crew chief Cristian Gabarrini at his side.
At the penultimate round of the 2012 season in Australia redbull.com decided to pick the brains of Gabarrini and another Italian who has spent a large portion of Stoner's career working with the rider, Lucio Cecchinello.
We knew right there and then that this was the guy
A former GP rider himself Cecchinello now runs the LCR Honda team. It's a set up he started in 1996 and in 2005, after Stoner finished runner-up in the 250cc class with Team LCR, Cecchinello decided to take the plunge and step up to MotoGP the following season with the talented youngster on board...
“We were impressed immediately by him from the beginning,” began Cecchinello, with whose team Stoner rode his very first full season in the World Championship in the 250s in 2002. “I still remember the first time he rode at the winter test in Jerez. It was with a standard 250cc bike, and he was immediately one second faster than all the other riders who had the same bike. He was just a few tenths slower than Marco Melandri, who was on a factory bike.
“Everybody was like 'Wow! What's going on?!´. We were really surprised and we knew right there and then that this was the guy.”
Stoner rode with Cecchinello's team the following season in the smaller 125cc class, switched to the KTM factory team in 2004, and then returned to Cecchinello's fold on a 250cc machine for the successful 2005 campaign.
Without Casey we wouldn't be here in MotoGP
It was then that Cecchinello decided to make the step up to MotoGP with Stoner as his rider. He had to fight off the interests of other teams, convince Honda to lease him a satellite RC211V at what he described as a “small discount”, and take a risk to make the premier class dream a reality. At one stage it looked like the huge effort wouldn't materialise, but it did, and it was a leap he says he would never have made with any rider other than Stoner.
Casey Stoner and Lucio Cecchinello
© LCR Team
“Fundamental,” is how Cecchinello responded when asked how crucial Stoner's participation was in the decision to give the MotoGP project for 2006 a go. “Before the end of the 2005 season, while he was still riding in the 250s, we started to talk about the possibility of moving to MotoGP together and had talks with Honda and Yamaha.
“I told Honda if they could support me I could put all my money in and that I believed we could do it. Honda really wanted Casey in the team. I would never 'bet' all my money on that project without a proper guy.
“Without Casey, Honda wouldn't have given us such a great possibility to race with a factory satellite machine, Michelin tyres... Without him we wouldn't be here [in MotoGP].”
It's clear from those words that Cecchinello had a huge confidence in Stoner's ability, but what was it that stood out most for him about the young rider?
“He was aways immediately able to understand how to go fast at every track, he could read the layout, pick the lines... Sometimes he'd be right on it in first practice on Friday morning, and be two seconds faster than anybody else! This is what always impressed me,” says Cecchinello.
“He always surprised me the way he faced a race, he always thought in a positive way. He always thought it was easy, it wasn't a problem. I always liked his mentality. He used the word 'easy' very often, and this showed the special mentality he has.”
On the sidelines
© Repsol Honda Team
After a season with LCR in MotoGP Stoner was snapped up by Ducati for its factory team in 2007, the year he started working with current crew chief Gabarrini and the season in which he won his first title.
“This is the sixth year I'm working with him. I thought that, every time, whatever Casey could show me I had already seen. But he is able to surprise you with something every time he rides the bike. It really is unbelievable,” said Gabarrini.
“I think only he can ride a bike like this. If conditions change he is very quick to change his riding style and adapt himself. He is incredible.”
Cecchinello added that Stoner's supreme self belief in his own ability was another impressive aspect of his character, and one which has contributed to his success.
Casey had a tremendous, unbelievable level of self confidence and it's probably because of that he always performed and did such great things in this sport
“To compete at this level and to succeed in any sport and in life you have to have a good level of self esteem and belief in your own potential, of course,” he said. “Casey had a tremendous, unbelievable level of self confidence and it's probably because of that he always performed and did such great things in this sport. It's amazing his capacity to do that.”
Watching Stoner throughout his career and the way he works during a Grand Prix weekend is something to behold. A perfectionist who always believes there is more to be wrung from the bike, himself and those surrounding him, what must it be like to work with somebody who operates on such a level?
“Sometimes when it seems he is in trouble, we've tried many things and it looks like nothing is working properly, we're missing two or three tenths of a second to be at the top, he looks at us working on the laptop and says: 'Okay, don't worry, we're alright. Stop working',” recounted Gabarrini.
“It's like the last part is for him, like he's saying to you: 'I'll take care of those last two or three tenths'. This is something funny, because maybe you're searching for something that doesn't exist, and he can solve it just like that.”
Casey Stoner chats with Cristian Gabarrini
© GEPA pictures/ Gold and Goose
After the last round in Australia Stoner has now started 114 races in the MotoGP class, won 38 of those and amassed a total of 68 podiums. Aside from such impressive stats, which will remain engraved in the history books, he'll leave another very lasting type of legacy too believe both Gabarrini and Cecchinello.
He took the sport to another level
“I think he introduced a new riding style,” said Cecchinello. “Casey really uses the spin of the rear tyre to steer the bike, using the inside curve to have a wider exit, and he is able to ride any kind of bike.
“I think he will also remain in history as being able to give Ducati the chance to win the Championship with such a nervy bike, and I think every person who loves this sport will remember him as a truly great rider – one who was able to dominate and control any kind of bike. He took the sport to another level.”
He hits the highest possible limit very, very quickly
Gabarrini added: “On the riding side the limit will not be the same because Casey is really strong at being able to stay on the limit, and at his limit. He hits the highest possible limit very, very quickly.
“From my point of view I believe it will be easier for the other riders to get onto the podium, the whole weekend will be easier because you won't have to push 105% from the beginning! For me, this will be the biggest difference we'll be able to feel next year.”
The on-track impact of Stoner's absence next season remains to be seen, but as many of his contemporaries and rivals have admitted since he announced his retirement back in May the certainty already stands that the sport will definitely be losing one of its greatest ever talents once the chequered flag comes out at Valencia.
