News

[Needle99]

I think Pedrosa would not want Stoner there especially if hw was quicker and may be softening on the never return statement.
Wonder if MM also was asked?
Woukd love to see the test data on his testing.

[lazylightnin717]

I would think Honda would want a better rider to collect points for the manufacturer's title.

Tough to say at this point but it might be a close race between 3 manufacturers.

[koko64]

Ducati should grovel to Stoner with big $$$$ and an apology, flowers for the GLW (and an all paid shopping trip to Milano), and a nanny for the kids. Ducati have the bike now, but need a true alien.
There I said it

[duccarlos]

Ducati should grovel to Stoner with big $$$$ and an apology, flowers for the GLW (and an all paid shopping trip to Milano), and a nanny for the kids. Ducati have the bike now, but need a true alien.
There I said it

Ducati would be more thn willing to beg, but Stoner will never go back. HRC probably has asked him a few times to return and he actually like them. No apologies will ever make up for the way that Ducati treated him.

[koko64]

True.

He could win on that bike.

[duccarlos]

Stoner at his peak could win on any bike, but if he would have stayed at Ducati, they would have not improved the bike as they have done since Gigi joined them.

[ducpainter]

Stoner at his peak could win on any bike, but if he would have stayed at Ducati, they would have not improved the bike as they have done since Gigi joined them.

Are you saying that Preziosi would still be there managing a losing program if Stoner had stayed ?

He'd be engineering Scramblers because Phillip Morris would have bailed long ago and Ducati would not be racing in GP.

Stoner would have moved to another manufacturer regardless. He wasn't going to fight the battle with his own team.

[koko64]

They finally fixed it after all these years (the best years of his racing life).
Probably finally the bike he asked for, or close to it.

[lazylightnin717]

Ducati would be more thn willing to beg, but Stoner will never go back. HRC probably has asked him a few times to return and he actually like them. No apologies will ever make up for the way that Ducati treated him.

http://superbikeplanet.com/2015/Apr/150406273.htm

[koko64]

Very interesting. It's up to Ducati now to heal the wounds if we are ever to see Stoner ride Moto GP again. Or maybe Yamaha?

[duccarlos]

Are you saying that Preziosi would still be there managing a losing program if Stoner had stayed ?

He'd be engineering Scramblers because Phillip Morris would have bailed long ago and Ducati would not be racing in GP.

Stoner would have moved to another manufacturer regardless. He wasn't going to fight the battle with his own team.

Ducati would have won and no one would have blamed Preziosi. Stoner would have complained and everyone would have kept calling him a whiner. Rossi would have stayed in Yamaha.

The past years of progress were all due to Rossi not able to win on the POS, plain and simple. Prior to Rossi moving to Ducati, the riders were just crybabies.

[koko64]

Yep. I'd agree with that.
Added to that is that Burgess couldn't adjust the bike to win either, further supporting the idea that the bike was outside the circle of acceptable handling. It wouldn't turn so Stoner turned it the dirt track way which hid the problem and Ducati blamed the riders. Old news I know. Stoner also did strange dark arts stuff Nicky Hayden has mentioned like loading the front with the brakes at times that would make other riders crash.

[ducpainter]

Ducati would have won and no one would have blamed Preziosi. Stoner would have complained and everyone would have kept calling him a whiner. Rossi would have stayed in Yamaha.

The past years of progress were all due to Rossi not able to win on the POS, plain and simple. Prior to Rossi moving to Ducati, the riders were just crybabies.

I disagree. Stoner wouldn't be able to continue winning on that bike.

The rest might have played out the same or differently eventually because Stoner wasn't gonna stay and ride it much longer whether Ducati mistreated him or not.

...and I agree with Suppo. The risk of Casey coming back, for any team, is too high...for Casey.

[koko64]

He still won races, but crashed a lot accessing that speed with the bike the way it was. Championships were out of the question and other riders struggled to podium. Imagine where Melandri's career would be now if he hadn't gone to Ducati. He was a contender on the Honda.

[ducpainter]

IMO you can't count Melandri.

Everything needs to be perfect for him to go fast.

There's no reason he should be absolutely last on the APE this year...seconds behind his team mate.