Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1545725
JULY 19, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 30 T he message of racing in 2006 is quite clear - put your trust in youth. The old hands have had to look to their laurels, as class rookies such as Dani Pedrosa and Chris Vermeulen get right up among them. And Casey Stoner - who was actually the first of the trio to claim a pole position. That was at Qatar, round two, a race, by the way, where he was stricken with a debilitating and lingering virus, not to mention serious jet lag (after a mud- dle of missed flight connections). At 20 years, and 173 days old, he was the youngest polesitter since Freddie Spencer in 1982. They obviously all missed the lesson that told them that MotoGP bikes were so difficult to ride it would take at least a year before they would find the pace. The rider from the coal-mining district of Kurri Kurri in New South Wales, Australia, may be young, but in line with the new generation, has been racing for years, moving to Europe as a young teenager to race in Britain and Spain, and up to World Championship level in 2002. Riding in the 125 and 250cc classes, he claimed the first of seven race wins in 2003, and last year was Pedrosa's tooth-and-nail rival for the 250cc title. Stoner's off-season was a bit of a muddle. First he was inad- vertently caught up in the pyrotechnics between Yamaha, Gauloises and Camel. Stoner had been close to a deal to ride for Yamaha in MotoGP, until that all went wrong. He was rescued by his longtime team boss Lucio Cecchinello and Honda, in a new satellite team. Then he missed a chunk of testing while an old dirt-bike shoul- der injury was repaired. When he did get going, he was quick from the start. And it was just the same at the races. Fatigue and illness dropped him to fifth after leading early in Qatar; but at the next round in Turkey he was leading the closing stages right up to the final corners, finishing a close second to Marco Melandri. He was fifth in China after running off the track and rejoining in 10th; and fourth in France, after starting 11th on the grid. The poor qualifying he blamed on Valentino Rossi, who balked him on his fast lap. In true feisty style, he has criticized Rossi also for suggesting that he might lose pace on worn tires. In fact, the opposite is true, and he has been anxious to point it out at every opportunity. In fact, he seems to be fitting well into the spiky Australian model established by Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan before him, frequent- ly referring to "proving my critics wrong," and at Mugello banning pho- tographers from his pit. I asked him if he was sensitive to criticism, and if he really worried what other people said about him. His reply was a clas- sic. "No, it doesn't. I just think people should keep their mouths shut if they don't know what they're talking about." Thus far, his season has been nothing but impressive. Except for two Casey Stoner BY MICHAEL SCOTT PHOTOS BY GOLD & GOOSE