Ducati: Stoner influence is not big/still staying quit

AntG said:

If he likes to race but doesn't want the ........ which comes with an international racing series, why not just by a bike and join a racing club in Australia? The interest on his career earnings alone would probably pay for a few seasons of club racing.

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Well he wouldn't really be racing. He would pretty much be doing trackdays on a superbike. No local racer in Aus would see him after he first corner. He does like competition, he's seems to almost be a walking talking paradox.

p4p1 said:

Well he wouldn't really be racing. He would pretty much be doing trackdays on a superbike. No local racer in Aus would see him after he first corner. He does like competition, he's seems to almost be a walking talking paradox.

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Plenty of ex full time racers still do the club scene in the UK, no world class level now mind you but Barry Sheene still did the odd classic race in his retirement.

JPSLotus said:

Kesh,

I look at it like this. Him not riding is the equivalent of covering up the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and then telling people to go look at pictures. People would rightfully tell you to piss off as they want to see the real deal. He was a living, breathing, work of art. Unlike traditional art, you can't stop the deterioration, so there is a finite shelf life to seeing the art at it's absolute best. Stoner is still within the shelf life. He is basically robbing the world of the opportunity to see something that will only be around for a small window of time...pictures/videos don't do the art justice the way the real work does. That is a ....... crime.

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JP - I feel yah man. Nothing more I'd like to see than Stoner out there making the top three look like chimps. But what to do? It's his life.

Riding vs Racing

AntG said:

If he likes to race but doesn't want the ........ which comes with an international racing series, why not just by a bike and join a racing club in Australia? The interest on his career earnings alone would probably pay for a few seasons of club racing.

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I wonder how much he really liked racing as opposed to riding.

I always got the sense that he preferred the qualifying rounds to race day. Sure its great to be first across the finish line, proving yourself the best among the best in the world, but the path there was more 'work' than 'play'. (I get a hint of the same from Lorenzo.)

Meanwhile Rossi & Marquez come off as guys who live to race. Live for the battle. For whom the best part about the race isn't finding the fastest line around the circuit but overtaking the guy in front. Sure Rossi's mellowed quite a bit now, with age and two humbling seasons at Ducati taking their toll, but in his prime he was a rider who'd rather battle someone to second place than finish a lonely first (that was his team's impression at least).

Same with Marquez. After blowing his championship hopes in 2015, he's tempered his approach, but its taken a constant and very conscious effort on his part. You can see the struggle within as he fights the instinct to cut loose. Unsuccessfully at times (case-in-point: Silverstone).

Sure both of them can ride responsibly if the situation calls for it and Stoner proved he could battle as hard as the next guy, but it doesn't seem to be their 'natural' state/mentality.

So I think I can see why Stoner would be willing to retire at his prime, stick to testing and fight off the temptation to return. He doesn't live and breath racing. (Marquez, in contrast, will be flogging his bike to beat younger riders even after the reflexes of youth fade. Rossi will certainly pass away.. of old age.. on the track.. on his bike.)

We don't have a Valencia thread yet so I'll just poste here.

This is a first thing...Lorenzo's statement as a farewell to Yamaha:



He has also been posting about his most memorable moments, today was his last one...he chose Assen 2013, that was expected.

Today was a shooting for winners...



Personally, I would put Marquez in the middle, he is the Champ and has won the most. Iannone just doesn't belong to the spotlight
Also, do you notice Rossi's pose? This photo was first posted on motogp.com. They changed it soon after. It was also deleted from motogp's instagram account. Only his pose has changed. He does look like a ...... here.

This video reminds me of the times when we jumped fences in school. MM is 99% of the kids, but there were always the clumsy ones who needed help.

And last but not least....well maybe only in size...Dani was cleared to participate tomorrow!

JPSLotus said:

Goes back to my belief he has no idea why he retired.

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Women can do that to you. The kid and marriage happened, let us not forget. Without that, I bet he would have kept racing.

Whenever this comes up I always think of the last time I saw Casey Stoner on a bike in a race. I saw him do stuff that I didn't know was possible to do. I dont think it was visible on tv. And he did this same thing lap after lap, truly unforgettable. I'm glad he was able to quit on his own terms. That level of commitment he put on display does not often allow that. More power to him.