Casey Stoner rumor

[Spidey]

Wow! Bummer to see him go.

Indeed.

[Spidey]

And this one, of course  . . . Rossi-Stoner Laguna Seca 2008 battle

[PhilB]

It's part of his contract with Satan.

After LeMans... Stoners wife gets fat.... the Ducati will be fast again.... Pedrosa becomes a real boy..... The Ben returns to form and Nicky puts a proper curve on the bill of his hat.

I think this is a good move on his part.  He goes out on top, while he's rich and still healthy, and before Eszpoleta destroys the series completely.

PhilB

[Goat_Herder]

If you look at up Counter-Steering and Drift in the dictionary, you will see a picture of Casey Stoner on his GP bike...  

It'd definitely a shock to fans/haters and to racing.  MotoGP is having trouble keep fans happy and the grid filled.  But it's his life and his decision.  I just hope that he doesn't regret this decision a couple years later, knowing that he still have plenty of gas left in the tank...

[wantingaduc]

I'll miss seeing him push and slide the Honda around like a little pregnant dog.
 
If you like him or not, he did win a championship for Ducati and he's on track for his 3rd, completely dominating everyone who said he had no talent in 2006-2007.

I think it's a good move on his part, get out while you're young and healthy, enjoy your life and family.
He only has to look back in a few years to see champions who weren't as smart or didn't have the balls to check out when it was still good.

I'd be willing to bet he's been pretty smart with his paychecks, money probably won't be an issue.

Now let's see if he's still as determined on track as he was before the announcement.

jimi

[akmnstr]

Frankly, I love the guy but I hate Honda.  Can you haters remember who else it was that won a motogp championship on a Ducati?  The names have slipped from my mind.  I'll miss him but if I see Hondas finishing first a little less often I won't mind. 

[xsephirot]

You know...I don't like the guy all that much but respect him as a racer. And frankly, the last few years, when he has been "On", there hasn't been anyone in the paddock that can touch him. Will be sad to see him go.

Quoted for truth. Always thought of him as a whiner until Rossi moved to Ducati then everyone realized what a genius Stoner may have been with the bike. His ability to slide from the apex curb to the outside curb is absolutely astonishing.

[triangleforge]

I'm definitely going to miss his competitiveness & his intuitive ability to ride the piss out of anything.

It's a bit early to assume he's going out on top. While he dominated last year and the first part of this year (though I'd stopped paying attention to the standings - because Casey seemed to be running away with it from the first laps of pre-season testing - and didn't realize he's only one point up on Lorenzo), we're only three races in and there's plenty of room for bad luck and/or hard work from the Yamaha garage in the next 15.

In other news, if anybody cares at this point  , Rossi says he's in for another two years.

[desmoquattro]

In other news, if anybody cares at this point  , Rossi says he's in for another two years.

Gawd I hope not...that would mean the unthinkable: Dani Pedrosa Smurfy McDoucheBot, MotoGP Champion.

[El Matador]

Gawd I hope not...that would mean the unthinkable: Dani Pedrosa Smurfy McDoucheBot, MotoGP Champion.

Ain't gonna happen while Lorenzo is healthy.

[duccarlos]

Ain't gonna happen while Lorenzo is healthy.

I'm pretty sure Lorenzo just became the happiest man on Earth. Stoner is the only rider that can consistently beat him.

[The Don]

In other news, if anybody cares at this point  , Rossi says he's in for another two years.
[/quote] Yawn, who is this Rossi you speak of? I thought he retired two years ago .
As a Aussie and massive fan of Stoner I'm devastated (OK devastated might be over the top) maybe disappointed, just as well I've booked Phillip Island already, hopefully he will go out on top.
Don

[Jester]

I just read this.  Terrible news for GP and motorcycling in general.  I may not like Casey's attitude a lot of the time, but I do enjoy watching him race.  There is a big void if he leaves.  I feel kind of empty about it.  I respect him for leaving in his prime, but we'll always look back and think "what if he had raced another 5-8 years."

I don't blame him though.  The series is going down the toilet right now anyway.

[ducpainter]

Not exactly news...

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=56886.msg1055713#msg1055713

of course now we've heard it from him. 

http://motomatters.com/news/2012/05/02/the_first_improbable_rumors_of_the_2013_.html

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99318

[zooom]

I respect him for leaving in his prime, but we'll always look back and think "what if he had raced another 5-8 years."

this portion of your quote is exactly what I thought when Bayliss retired almost...