Casey Stoner

Two-time MotoGP World Champion who won titles with Ducati and Honda.

Casey Joel Stoner (born 16 October 1985) is an Australian retired professional motorcycle racer, and a two-time MotoGP World Champion. During his MotoGP career, Stoner raced for the Ducati and Honda factory teams, winning a title for each team.

Quick Facts

Nationality: Australian
Born: 16 October 1985
Birthplace: Southport, Queensland, Australia

Lore & Background

Born in Southport, Queensland, Stoner took up racing at an early age and moved to the United Kingdom to pursue his career. He joined MotoGP in 2006, riding for the Honda satellite team LCR. He joined the factory Ducati team in 2007 and won the championship. He was Ducati's first MotoGP World Champion, and would remain their only champion until Francesco Bagnaia in 2022. Stoner remained a strong contender on the Ducati in 2008 and 2009, winning multiple races despite the increasing superiority of Yamaha and Honda's bikes. Stoner made a good start to the 2009 season but had to miss three races due to chronic fatigue syndrome. In 2010, Ducati failed to challenge Yamaha and Honda until very late in the season, when Stoner picked up three race wins. Stoner left Ducati for Honda for the 2011 season. He won a second world championship in dominant fashion, taking ten race wins and sealing the title by winning his home race with two rounds remaining. In 2012, prior to the French Grand Prix, the 27-year-old Stoner unexpectedly announced that he would retire from Grand Prix racing at the end of the season due to burnout. Due to a crash during practice at Indianapolis, Stoner missed several races due to injury, curtailing his last championship challenge. He rounded off his MotoGP career with a remarkable sixth consecutive win in his home Grand Prix at Phillip Island, and a podium in his final race. On 27 March 2015, HRC announced that Stoner would return to competition for a one-off ride in the 2015 Suzuka 8 Hours. Stoner crashed out of the race due to a stuck throttle, and Honda apologised to Stoner over the technical failure that caused him to injure his ankle and shoulder. Stoner served as a test and development rider for former team Ducati from 2016 to 2018.

Reader's Guide

Stoner's early career included contesting national 125cc GP championships in Britain and Spain from 2000 to 2002, winning the English 125cc Aprilia Championship in 2000, before moving full-time to the 250cc GP World Championships in 2002. His season on an Aprilia under Lucio Cecchinello was turbulent, with no podium places from 15 race starts. In 2005, Stoner rejoined the 250cc world championship class, racing for Cecchinello's team on a works Aprilia. He 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. Stoner went on to claim a solid second place in the overall championship standings, with five race victories. In October 2005, Stoner and Cecchinello's team reportedly had an agreement to move to MotoGP with support from Yamaha. After the season ended, he received an offer from the Honda Pons team and tested the Honda RC211V with them at Valencia. In December 2005, Stoner re-signed with Cecchinello's team after Honda Pons failed to secure sponsorship. The team then made an agreement with LCR Honda to run the RC211V for Stoner in 2006. As a rookie satellite rider, Stoner took pole position in just his second MotoGP race, but crashed several times during the season. He finished eighth in the championship, with his best result being second at the Turkish Grand Prix. In 2007, Stoner secured a ride with the Factory Ducati Team, joining Loris Capirossi on the new 800cc Ducati Desmosedici GP7. He started with a first premier-class win in the Qatar opener after a tense battle with Valentino Rossi. Stoner took ten race wins and six pole positions, winning his first GP title by a margin of 125 points over Dani Pedrosa. His worst finish was a sixth place at Motegi, which was all he needed to clinch the title that day. Stoner was named Young Australian of the Year for his 2007 performance. In 2008, Stoner took the #1 decal. He opened with a victory at Qatar, then a run of two races without a podium. He returned to the podium with second at Mugello, before starting a run of seven successive pole positions. He turned three into successive victories—a lights-to-flag win at Donington, leading every lap at Assen, and recovering from a huge Friday crash at Sachsenring to win in the wet after Dani Pedrosa crashed.