Casey Stoner
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Casey Stoner (b. 16 October, 1985) is a motorcycle racer originally from Kurri-Kurri in New South Wales, Australia.
Stoner's family moved him to England at a young age to further his racing career outside of Australia. He contested the national 125cc GP championships in Britain and Spain before moving full time to the 250cc GP World Championships in 2002.
His season on an Aprilia under the guidance of Lucio Ceccinello was turbulant, with no podium places from 15 race starts, and for 2003 he moved to the 125cc GP category. Here, working again with Ceccinello and Aprilia, he met with considerable success, scoring his first world championship win and three second places, finishing 8th overall at the season's end.
In 2004 Stoner joined the Red Bull KTM factory team in 125ccs, and continued to improve, with another world championship win, two second places, three thirds, and a final championship position of fifth.
In 2005 he rejoined the 250cc world championship class, racing once again for Lucio Ceccinello on an Aprilia. With his factory Aprilia, Stoner emerged toward the season's end as a serious threat to championship leader Dani Pedrosa; a threat that only dissipated with a crash at Stoner's home Grand Prix of Phillip Island, allowing Pedrosa to establish an insurmountable points lead. Stoner went on claim a solid second place in the overall championship standings, with an impressive five race victories for the season.
With the seemingly invincible Valentino Rossi dominating MotoGP, it became clear towards the end of 2005 that many veteran MotoGP riders would be rotated out of the category in an attempt to challenge Rossi's dominance with fresh talent. Among the beneficiaries of this push were the top 250cc GP performers of Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner.
Stoner was rumoured to be considering a position with Yamaha, but eventually settled on an alliance once more with team manager Lucio Ceccinello on a Honda RC211V, on a one-bike team new to the series.
2006 Season
Both Stoner and Pedrosa surprised many with their 2006 pre-season performance. However, Stoner was forced to miss much of the latter half of the pre-season testing when an old dirt bike shoulder injury flared up. However, after surgury he was cleared for a 2006 season start at Jerez, Spain.Jerez - Spain. This race confirmed the promise of the new generation of MotoGP riders, with Pedrosa stalking eventual race winner Loris Capirossi all the way to the line for second place. Stoner finished a promising sixth, well ahead of many seasoned veterans and with little experience on a MotoGP machine.
Losail International Circuit - Qatar. Stoner topped every qualifying and practice session bar one (which was headed by a Kenny Roberts Jr, obviously enjoying his RC211V engine for 2006). His pole position for this race made him the youngest pole setter in the premier class since Freddie Spencer in 1982. Stoner led during the first half of the race, eventually succumbing to rear tyre wear and physical fatigue brought on by flu, resulting in a final placing of fifth. His exceptional qualifying performance and pace during the race reiterated his race winning potential.
Istanbul Park - Turkey. Stoner qualified seventh behind countryman Chris Vermeulen who took his maiden pole in a sodden qualifying session. The race however was conducted in dry conditions, and soon developed into a close fight between Hayden, Pedrosa, Stoner and Melandri. As the race drew to a conclusion, Hayden had started to fade and the race developed into a close fight between the remaining three Hondas. Stoner took the lead for the final lap, closely pursued by Melandri, but it was Pedrosa who surprised with a front end tuck at the end of the straight ending his chances of a podium. Melandri then stayed with Stoner, with the latter unable to resist Melandri's strength under brakes at the end of the back straight, allowing Melandri through to take the race win. Stoner still walked away with his maiden MotoGP podium from just three race starts, while Hayden bagged a lucky third position to lead the championship points.
Shanghai International Circuit - China. Stoner qualified seventh once again, in a qualifying session marred by a flurry of wet weather. During the race he struggled to move up and chase the front group, but eventually tagged along with a charging Valentino Rossi as he sliced his way through the pack. Stoner was unable to keep up with Rossi's blistering pace; but perhaps both riders were pushing their machines past the limit, as Rossi retired after a front tyre failure, and Stoner ran off the track to rejoin in tenth. Amazingly, Stoner fought back from this position to finish in fifth, taking some important championship points. Meanwhile his old 250cc rival, Dani Pedrosa, added to his Saturday pole position a strong Sunday race victory.
Le Mans - France. Stoner qualified eleventh on the grid, but struggled in the early stages of the race after moving up to eighth place. However, as the fuel load lightened and the bike became more comfortable, he was able to lap considerably faster, eventually moving up behind Hayden for fifth place. After a lengthy battle, Stoner eventually took Hayden with seven laps remaining to secure fourth place, finishing in front of the "Kentucky Kid" by 0.21 seconds.
Mugello - Italy. Arguably the highlight of the MotoGP calendar, the Grand Prix of Italy saw Stoner qualify in ninth place. Despite the third row start, he made a (now fairly typical) strong start and slotted in with the leading group. An incredible group of six riders circulated at the very front of the race initially, trading places and swapping paint with amazing frequency. Unfortunately, Stoner suffered a massive highside while in third place and pushing to stay with Gibernau and Rossi. He walked away unscathed - incredibly - but suffered his first DNF of the season.
Catalunya - Spain. Stoner qualified in eighth, but made a fantastic start to take the lead into the first corner. Unfortunately, the race was red flagged after Gibernau's brake lever was engaged following contact with Capirossi. The cartwheeling Ducati skittled several other riders, who in turn skittled more. Gibernau, Capirossi, and Melandri were unable to join the restart. Stoner made a second fantastic start for the restarted race, but was eventually passed by Rossi. In pursuing Rossi, Stoner suffered a front end tuck which ended his race in the gravel trap, making it two DNFs in a row for the Australian. His 250cc rival Dani Pedrosa was also a non-finisher.
Assen - Netherlands. A disappointing qualifying session saw Stoner in twelfth spot on the grid. However, he soon worked his way through the middle of the pack, eventually settling into a groove with Dani Pedrosa and Kenny Roberts Jr. Stoner was eventually pipped at the post by Pedrosa, by just three hundredths of a second. But what seemed like a fifth place for Stoner was actually transformed into a fourth, with Pedrosa elevated to the podium, thanks to an incredible last corner highside from Colin Edwards. The American rider had diced with his countryman Nicky Hayden, only to cut onto the astroturf and highside himself within sight of the finish line.
Donington - Britain. Stoner qualified on the third row of the grid in eighth place, in a tightly packed field that saw a spread of less than a second between 2nd and 12th place. The exception being Dani Pedrosa on pole, who was an extraordinary 4/10ths of a second faster than everyone else. The race for the top step of the podium proved to be a one man show, with Pedrosa making a good start and working his way to the front. He promptly reeled off the fastest lap of the race no less than five times, and finished first with a very healthy lead. Casey Stoner meanwhile battled for the podium with Roberts Jr, Melandri and Rossi. Melandri and Rossi found good pace late in the race, leaving Stoner to come in for fourth place behind Melandri in third and Rossi in second.
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