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Posted by Staff
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Sunday, 23 September 2007 |
 Casey Stoner was always earmarked out for greatness when he
made his debut as a wildcard at Donington Park in 2001. Having been drafted into
the same academy system which has seen the likes of Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elias
rise through the MotoGP ranks, Stoner took full advantage of his family’s bold
move to Europe to build on a promising national dirt-track career.
Beginning a permanent Grand Prix career in the 250cc class under the
guidance of Lucio Cecchinello, it was when he dropped down to the 125s the
following season that the motorcycling world began to take notice, as he took
four podiums and a win at the final round. In 2004 he battled for the 125
championship with KTM, taking their first ever Grand Prix victory and finishing
fifth overall.
A return to the LCR team and the 250 class in 2005 saw him
battle his old stablemate Pedrosa for the 250cc title, winning five races on the
Aprilia, before he continued with LCR for his and the team’s rookie season in
MotoGP on board a Honda.
His rookie year in 2006 saw flashes of
brilliance mixed with a few disappointing crashes, but stand-out moments
included pole position in just his second race at Qatar followed by a battle to
the line with Marco Melandri in Turkey where he was just pipped into second
place. His performances saw the Ducati factory come knocking at the door, and
since the end of 2006 his career has gone into overdrive.
A maiden MotoGP
victory the first race of 2007 at Qatar was a self-confessed surprise for both
rider and team, but once he followed this up with wins at Turkey and China, it
was clear the Stoner juggernaut was rolling towards a title tilt. His standout
performance at Catalunya, where he battled toe-to-toe with five-time champion
Valentino Rossi will go down as one of the great races in history, whilst he
dominated the mid-season with pole-to-flag victories at three consecutive races
at Laguna Seca, Brno and Misano.
He has been the dominant force in MotoGP
this season, the only rider to score points in every round, and with four rounds
still to go he seals the title with a total of 297 points, 8 wins and 11
podiums, including 5 pole positions.
Some facts about Stoner's achievement
- At the
age of 21 years and 342 days, Stoner becomes the second youngest rider to win
the premier-class title in the 59-year history of world championship Grand Prix
racing.
- He is only the fifth rider in history to win eight or more
premier-class races in a single season along with motorcycling greats Giacomo
Agostini, Mike Hailwood, Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi.
- He wins a
first MotoGP riders’ title for Ducati and it is also the first time a European
manufacturer has won the title since Phil Read on an MV Agusta in1974.
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Stoner is the third Australian to win the MotoGP title, after MotoGP Legends
Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner.
from InfoMotoGP
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